CULTURE MEDIA AND SPORT

Archaeology: Finance

Edward Garnier: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what plans he has for funding of the Portable Antiquities Scheme in the period 2008 to 2012; what plans he has to provide support for finds liaison officers; and if he will make a statement.

Margaret Hodge: The Portable Antiquities Scheme is funded by the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council (MLA). Therefore, any decisions on its future funding will be taken by the MLA.

Archaeology: Finance

David Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much has been allocated to the Portable Antiquities Scheme in each of the financial years to 2011-12; and if he will make a statement.

Margaret Hodge: The funding for the Portable Antiquities Scheme is a matter for the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council. No final decisions have yet been made by the MLA on future funding of the scheme.

Archaeology: Finance

David Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what recent assessment he has made of the performance of the Portable Antiquities Scheme in recording archaeological finds made by members of the public; and if he will make a statement.

Margaret Hodge: An assessment of MLA's effectiveness against all the targets set in its Funding Agreement, including those for the Portable Antiquities Scheme, was carried out earlier this year.
	The Portable Antiquities Scheme has made a significant contribution to encouraging the reporting of archaeological finds by members of the public.

Archaeology: Finance

David Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what recent discussions he has had with the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council on the future funding of the Portable Antiquities Scheme; and if he will make a statement.

Margaret Hodge: An assessment of the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council's (MLA) effectiveness against all the targets set in its Funding Agreement, including those for the Portable Antiquities Scheme, was carried out earlier this year.
	Decisions regarding future funding for the Portable Antiquities Scheme are the responsibility of the MLA.

Community Development

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport when the next meeting of the organisations taking part in the Where We Live programme will take place; and whether a representative from his Department will attend.

Margaret Hodge: The Where We Live programme is now known as Living Places. The programme is delivered through a partnership between the five leading national cultural agencies, the DCMS, the Department for Committee and Local Government and the regional cultural consortiums.
	The Living Places Officers Group will meet on Monday 19 November 2007. The Living Places Chief Executives meeting will take place in January 2008 (date to be confirmed). A representative from DCMS is expected to attend both.

Departmental Expenditure

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport at which functions during the last 12 months his Department incurred hospitality expenses and how much has been incurred on each occasion.

Margaret Hodge: Expenditure on official hospitality is made in accordance with the principles of Government Accounting, the Treasury handbook Regularity and Propriety and the Department's internal guidance on hospitality. The Department's expenditure on official functions during the last year (to October 2007) was £5,970. Details of individual functions are not held centrally and can be identified only at disproportionate cost.

Departmental Public Appointments

John Whittingdale: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport when he plans to publish the report by Mike Dixon on the appointment of a departmental chief scientific adviser; and if he will make a statement.

James Purnell: I am due to meet the Government Chief Scientist to discuss Dr. Dixon's report and consider what approach is most appropriate for my Department. I expect to publish the report, alongside our response, in the new year.

Digital Broadcasting: East of England

Richard Spring: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what the take-up of digital television in (a) Suffolk and  (b) the east of England was at the most recent date for which figures are available.

James Purnell: We do not collect statistics based on Government regions or counties. According to Digital UK/Ofcom figures, take-up for the Anglia region is 77 per cent.

Digital Switchover Help Scheme: East of England

Richard Spring: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many and what percentage of households he estimates will qualify for assistance in switching over to digital television in  (a) Suffolk and  (b) the east of England.

James Purnell: The information is not available in the format requested. We estimate that around 615,000 households in the east of England area will be eligible for assistance from the digital switchover help scheme. Of these, 85,000 eligible households are in Suffolk.
	 Notes:
	1. Eligibility for help from the digital switchover help scheme will be by benefit unit rather than the whole household definition used by the Department for Communities and Local Government (CLG) the Scottish Executive, the Welsh Assembly Government and the Northern Ireland Office to forecast future household growth. The scheme definition of eligible households mirrors Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) definition of a benefit unit: a couple (which from December 2005 includes gay couples) and any dependent children. It excludes adults deemed to be non-dependents who, if eligible, will be able to claim assistance from the help scheme in their own right.
	2. The estimates use data from the Department for Work and Pensions Client Group Analysis for November 2005 adjusted by changes in future household and benefits growth for the period from 2005 until the date switchover takes place in the relevant area.
	3. The figures do not include households where the person qualifying for help under the scheme is registered blind or registered partially sighted who qualify on grounds of registration rather than on grounds of age or entitlement to disability benefits.

Television: Licensing

Ben Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport 
	(1)  how much the TV Licensing authority has taken in fines in  (a) 2006,  (b) 2005 and  (c) 2004;
	(2)  how many fines the TV Licensing Authority issued in  (a) 2006,  (b) 2005 and  (c) 2004.

James Purnell: Fines are issued and collected by the courts, not TV Licensing. According to information reported to the Ministry of Justice (formerly Home Office) court proceedings database, 96,192 persons were fined in 2004 for offences under the Wireless Telegraphy Acts 1949 and 1967 and the Communications Act 2003, the majority of which relate to TV licence evasion. The figure for 2005 was 118,029. The total amount of fines collected is not recorded centrally.

Television: Licensing

Ben Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport whether the TV Licensing authority is able to estimate the number of people who own a television but do not have a licence.

James Purnell: The BBC estimates the evasion rate across the UK to be 5.1 per cent. The estimated number of evaders is 1.32 million.

Television: Licensing

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many households in each constituency in Northern Ireland were in receipt of the free television licence for over 75s at the latest date for which figures are available.

James Purnell: TV Licensing, which administers free television licences for people aged 75 or over as an agent for the BBC, and provide geographical breakdowns of the number of free licences issued. However, the estimated number of households in each constituency in Northern Ireland with at least one person aged 75 or over claiming the winter fuel payment in 2005-06, based on records held by the Northern Ireland Department for Social Development, was as follows:
	
		
			  Parliamentary constituency  Estimated number of households with at least one person aged 75 or over claiming the winter fuel payment, 2005-06( 1) 
			 Belfast East 6,049 
			 Belfast North 5,359 
			 Belfast South 5,180 
			 Belfast West 3,654 
			 East Antrim 4,295 
			 East Londonderry 4,261 
			 Fermanagh and South Tyrone 4,611 
			 Foyle 3,681 
			 Lagan Valley 5,044 
			 Mid Ulster 3,939 
			 Newry and Armagh 4,685 
			 North Antrim 5,683 
			 North Down 5,644 
			 South Antrim 4,276 
			 South Down 5,167 
			 Strangford 5,007 
			 Upper Bann 4,728 
			 West Tyrone 3,875 
			 Missing postcode(1) 275 
			 Total 85,413 
			 (1)( )In producing this analysis, individual records were attributed to parliamentary constituencies (PC's) on the basis of their postcode. Not all records can be correctly allocated to a PC using this method.

Television: Licensing

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many people in Northern Ireland were penalised for not having a valid television licence in  (a) 2004,  (b) 2005 and  (c) 2006.

James Purnell: The Northern Ireland Court Service only began collecting such data in November 2006 and so the information requested is not available.

Tourism

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what estimate has been made of the value of tourism to the UK economy.

Margaret Hodge: The UK's tourism industry was worth £85 billion in 2005, representing nearly 3.5 per cent. of the total economy in terms of gross value added. The industry's turnover was made up as follows:
	
		
			   £ billion 
			 Spending by UK residents on tourism day visits 44.3 
			 Spending by UK residents on overnight domestic trips 22.7 
			 Spending by inbound visitors to the UK 14.2 
			 Fares paid to UK carriers by overseas residents 2.8 
			 Imputed rent from second home ownership 0.9

VisitBritain: Finance

Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what the marketing budget for VisitBritain is in 2007-08.

Margaret Hodge: VisitBritain's allocation of DCMS grant in aid for 2007-08 is £49.9 million. VisitBritain has told us that it will spend £35.5 million on overseas marketing and the remaining £14.4 million on domestic marketing.
	In addition, a further grant of £750,000 was made to VisitBritain in August 2007 for additional marketing support for the domestic tourism industry, following the flooding in July.

HOME DEPARTMENT

Community Support Officers: Wales

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  how many police community support officers there were in each Welsh police force in each year since they were introduced;
	(2)  how many police officers there were in each Welsh police force in each year since 1997.

Tony McNulty: The information is shown in the following tables.
	
		
			  Police officer strength( 1)  (FTE)( 2)  by police force as at 31 March 1997 to 31 March 2007 
			   31 March 
			  Police force  1997( 3)  1998  1999  2000  2001( 4)  2002  2003( 5)  2004( 5)  2005( 5)  2006( 5)  2007( 5) 
			 Dyfed-Powys 1,005 1,002 1,026 1,040 1,055 1,132 1,149 1,160 1,174 1,182 1,177 
			 Gwent 1,243 1,233 1,247 1,264 1,274 1,333 1,341 1,372 1,438 1,467 1,493 
			 North Wales 1,369 1,396 1,391 1,403 1,444 1,506 1,539 1,603 1,652 1,617 1,591 
			 South Wales 2,976 2,986 2,981 2,926 3,154 3,222 3,239 3,279 3,281 3,263 3,297 
			 (1) This table contains full-time equivalent figures that have been rounded to the nearest whole number. Because of rounding, there may be an apparent discrepancy between totals and the sums of the constituent items. (2) Full-time equivalent excludes those on career breaks or maternity/paternity leave. (3) Boundary changes on 1 April 1996 transferred resources for the policing of the Rhymney Valley from South Wales Police to Gwent Police. (4) Boundary changes on 1 April 2000 transferred some resources from the Metropolitan Police to Essex, Hertfordshire and Surrey police forces. (5) Comparable strength (excludes those on career breaks, or maternity/paternity leave). The Police Numbers Task Force (2001) recommended that a clear presentation was made of the numbers of staff employed by police forces including those seconded into the force and those on any type of long or short term absence. These new calculations were first used in 2003, and are not comparable with data prior to March 2003. The data from 2003 onwards used here are termed comparable because they have been calculated on the old basis to allow comparison. 
		
	
	
		
			  Police community support officer strength( 1)  (FTE)( 2)  by police force as at 31 March 2003 to 31 March 2007( 3) 
			   31 March 
			  Police force  2003  2004  2005( 4)  2006( 4)  2007( 4) 
			 Dyfed-Powys 0 5 25 26 77 
			 Gwent 30 45 77 76 105 
			 North Wales 0 0 59 58 145 
			 South Wales 0 59 107 111 314 
			 (1) This table contains full-time equivalent figures that have been rounded to the nearest whole number. Because of rounding, there may be an apparent discrepancy between totals and the sums of the constituent items. (2) Full-time equivalent includes those on career breaks or maternity/paternity leave. (3) Police community support officers were introduced in statute in 2002, therefore data is not available prior to 2002-03. (4) Strength figures as at 31 March 2005 onwards include those staff on career breaks or maternity/paternity leave. Therefore these figures are not comparable with those provided for other years in the table.

Crimes of Violence: Children

Mark Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many children under the age of 18 in Milton Keynes have been charged with assault in each year between 1995 and 2007.

Vernon Coaker: The information requested is not collected centrally.

Neighbourhood Watch Schemes

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many Neighbourhood Watch schemes are active; how many of those receive Government funding; how many there are in each Government region; and if she will make a statement.

Vernon Coaker: Neighbourhood Watch schemes are set up on a voluntary basis and are not subject to monitoring by the Government. It is therefore not possible to state how many schemes are currently active. The Government do not directly fund schemes or associations but provide support through the funding of public liability insurance, publications and literature, maintenance of a website and managing the Neighbourhood Watch logo.
	As of 1 November 2007, 127,000 Neighbourhood Watch schemes in England and Wales had registered for public liability insurance via the Home Office Neighbourhood Watch website.

Police: Early Retirement

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many  (a) police officers and  (b) police community support officers retired on grounds of ill health in each year since 1997.

Tony McNulty: The available data are published by Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary and are given in the following table.
	
		
			  Police officer medical retirements( 1)  (FTE)( 2)  for England and Wales from 1996-97 to 2004-05( 3) 
			   Number 
			 1996-97 2,012 
			 1997-98 1,811 
			 1998-99 1,642 
			 1999-2000 1,232 
			 2000-01 1,209 
			 2001-02 1,114 
			 2002-03 819 
			 2003-04 418 
			 2004-05 405 
			 (1) Data collated on behalf of and published by HMIC. HMIC have advised that assaults data will no longer be published in their Annual Report and that the data for 2004-05 is the last series of these data to be published. (2) This table contains full-time equivalent figures that have been rounded to the nearest whole number. Because of rounding, there may be an apparent discrepancy between totals and the sums of the constituent items. (3) Financial year runs 1 April to 31 March inclusive.

Police: Wales

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many  (a) police officers and  (b) civilian staff serving with English police forces live in Wales.

Tony McNulty: The information requested is not collected centrally in the police personnel statistics.

Prosecutions: Milton Keynes

Mark Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many reports to police of criminal activity in Milton Keynes have not led to prosecution in each year between 1997 and 2007.

Vernon Coaker: The information requested is not collected centrally.

Terrorism: Nuclear Weapons

Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether she plans to amend the Terrorism Act 2000 to include the use of radiological weapons in the list of weapons and substances that fall within the scope of the Act.

Tony McNulty: We keep all our legislation under review and the issue of whether to include radiological weapons in the list of weapons and substances that fall within the scope of the Terrorism Act 2000 is currently being considered.

ENVIRONMENT FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Birds: Conservation

Elliot Morley: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when he intends to make a decision on the continuation of the Bird Registration Scheme under section 7 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981; and if he will make a statement.

Joan Ruddock: No decision has been made on any changes to the Bird Registration Scheme. It is anticipated that any changes that were made would be in force by 1 October 2008.

Climate Change

Michael Meacher: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the level of greenhouse gas emissions in the UK was from  (a) power generation,  (b) road transport,  (c) air travel,  (d) industry,  (e) buildings,  (f) households and  (g) other sources in each year since 1990.

Phil Woolas: Tables 1 and 2 show figures for UK greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions on a source basis and end user basis, respectively. The figures are taken from the UK Climate Change Programme Annual Report, which was laid before Parliament on 26 July.
	Emissions arising from electricity are attributed to the consumer, rather than the power station, in the end user basis. Figures are given for 1990-2005, the latest year for which data is available. Emissions data from 2006 will be available in January 2008.
	Disaggregated transport emissions are given in Table 3. It should be noted that emissions from domestic aviation are included in our Kyoto target, excluding emissions from international aviation. Emissions from households are counted under "residential", emissions from commercial properties under "business", and emissions from public buildings, including schools and hospitals, under "public". The UK does not separately report emissions from buildings.
	
		
			  Table 1: UK GHG emissions by sector, 1990-2005, on a source basis 
			  M illion tonnes carbon dioxide equivalent 
			   Base year  1990  1991  1992  1993  1994  1995  1996  1997 
			 Power supply 272.9 272.9 272.4 261.3 242.0 231.8 231.4 232.3 216.0 
			 Business 113.3 111.9 114.0 109.7 109.8 110.6 108.1 110.9 110.5 
			 Industrial processes 81.9 81.5 90.2 87.6 91.5 86.9 82.6 94.1 87.5 
			 Transport 124.3 124.3 122.6 123.8 125.4 125.7 125.0 130.1 131.7 
			 Residential 59.3 59.3 58.8 57.3 56.6 57.4 57.2 57.7 58.2 
			 Public 2.9 2.9 2.8 2.3 1.1 0.9 1.0 0.9 0.5 
			 Agriculture 55.3 53.7 51.9 46.5 42.9 44.7 44.2 45.0 46.5 
			 Land use change 13.6 13.6 14.5 15.2 13.8 13.5 13.3 14.3 13.9 
			 Waste 52.8 52.8 52.1 50.9 49.5 48.5 46.9 45.5 41.8 
			 Total 776.4 773.0 779.2 754.4 732.6 720.0 709.7 730.7 706.6 
		
	
	
		
			   1998  1999  2000  2001  2002  2003  2004  2005 
			 Power supply 217.3 204.6 213.3 222.6 220.6 225.8 224.3 225.8 
			 Business 110.4 112.7 113.9 114.5 104.8 106.7 104.0 104.3 
			 Industrial processes 90.2 89.6 90.2 92.6 89.3 90.4 92.0 88.1 
			 Transport 130.9 132.0 131.3 131.2 133.5 134.5 136.2 137.5 
			 Residential 57.0 56.3 54.1 51.3 51.6 50.9 50.7 49.7 
			 Public 0.0 -0.2 -0.4 -0.6 -1.1 -1.2 -1.9 -2.0 
			 Agriculture 43.5 26.7 23.9 21.3 17.7 18.5 17.9 17.2 
			 Land use change 13.3 13.1 12.3 12.6 10.8 10.4 11.3 11.2 
			 Waste 39.0 35.6 33.5 29.4 27.0 23.9 22.4 22.1 
			 Total 701.6 670.4 672.0 674.9 654.3 660.0 657.0 653.8 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2 : UK GHG emissions by sector, 1990 to 2005, on an end user basis 
			  Million tonnes carbon dioxide equivalent 
			   Base year  1990  1991  1992  1993  1994  1995  1996  1997 
			 Business 242.2 240.8 238.2 224.3 216.1 211.0 208.9 210.4 204.5 
			 Industrial processes 58.6 57.0 54.9 49.4 45.7 47.2 46.9 47.9 49.4 
			 Transport 148.0 148.0 145.8 147.7 150.7 151.0 151.5 156.9 157.7 
			 Residential 168.3 167.9 178.2 171.7 167.4 159.5 152.8 165.1 149.9 
			 Public 31.1 31.1 34.3 36.1 29.5 28.9 28.1 28.9 26.4 
			 Agriculture 63.1 63.1 62.6 60.9 59.9 60.6 60.3 60.7 61.0 
			 Land use change 2.9 2.9 2.8 2.3 1.1 0.9 1.0 0.9 0.5 
			 Waste 52.8 52.8 52.1 50.9 49.5 48.5 46.9 45.5 41.8 
			 Exports 9.4 9.4 10.2 11.1 12.6 12.4 13.2 14.3 15.5 
			 Total 776.4 773.0 779.2 754.4 732.6 720.0 709.7 730.7 706.6 
		
	
	
		
			   1998  1999  2000  2001  2002  2003  2004  2005 
			 Business 203.9 2Q1.2 208.7 214.0 202.0 206.7 203.5 204.9 
			 Industrial processes 46.1 29.2 26.2 23.1 19.2 19.9 19.2 18.4 
			 Transport 156.6 157.1 156.5 156.8 160.4 165.0 164.9 166.5 
			 Residential 155.6 150.4 154.3 161.1 155.8 158.0 159.5 155.4 
			 Public 25.6 24.7 23.7 24.3 21.8 21.5 22.3 22.2 
			 Agriculture 59.8 58.9 56.8 54.1 54.5 53.6 53.5 52.4 
			 Land use change 0.0 -0.2 -0.4 -0.6 -1.1 -1.2 -1.9 -2.0 
			 Waste 39.0 35.6 33.5 29.4 27.0 23.9 22.4 22.1 
			 Exports 14.9 13.6 13.0 12.5 14.6 12.5 13.7 14.0 
			 Total 701.6 670.4 672.0 674.9 654.3 660.0 657.0 653.8 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 3: UK carbon dioxide emissions from transport, 1990 to 2005, on a source basis 
			  Million tonnes 
			   Road transport  Domestic aviation  International aviation 
			 1990 109.4 1.3 15.7 
			 1991 108.6 1.2 15.4 
			 1992 110.1 1.3 17.1 
			 1993 111.3 1.3 18.2 
			 1994 111.9 1.2 18.9 
			 1995 110.9 1.3 20.1 
			 1996 115.2 1.4 21.3 
			 1997 116.6 1.5 22.7 
			 1998 115.9 1.6 25.3 
			 1999 116.8 1.8 27.4 
			 2000 116.0 2.0 30.3 
			 2001 116.0 2.1 29.5 
			 2002 118.4 2.1 28.9 
			 2003 118.2 2.1 29.6 
			 2004 119.4 2.3 33.1 
			 2005 119.9 2.5 35.0

Climate Change

Jennifer Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what account is taken of initiatives to reduce emissions and develop clean energy technologies in determining policy on market mechanisms, with particular reference to the EU Emissions Trading Scheme.

Phil Woolas: Market mechanisms, such as the EU Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS), play an extremely important role in tackling climate change by encouraging the cost of carbon to be included in production and consumption decisions.
	However, as the Stern review highlighted, by itself carbon pricing will not be sufficient to tackle climate change cost effectively for the longer-term. The Stern review suggested that a three-pronged approach is necessary for tackling climate change: carbon pricing, technology policy, and the removal of other barriers, such as consumer inertia and misaligned incentives.
	The Stern report highlighted that technology policy was an important requirement for bringing down the cost of carbon abatement over time and ensuring the necessary degree of technological development. Under the EU ETS the allocations for new entrants are based on best available technology benchmarks, which helps to ensure that new installations are developing clean and efficient processes.
	The Government agree with Stern's assessment and regards initiatives to develop clean technologies as important complements to carbon pricing mechanisms such as the EU ETS.

Flood Control: Finance

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what plans he has to review the system on which funding is allocated for flood defences.

Phil Woolas: Following public consultation in the spring, a set of measures has been developed to provide greater clarity on the outcomes to be achieved from flood and coastal erosion risk management funding and policies.
	The consultation included a range of approaches to investment prioritisation. We are working with the Environment Agency to develop an effective prioritisation process for the capital improvement programme in order to deliver the outcomes desired in future years. We anticipate that targets will be set for the capital programme on the basis of the new Outcome Measures from the next financial year and for maintenance activities from 2009-10.

Floods

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs who has responsibility for measures to  (a) avoid and  (b) mitigate surface water flooding.

Phil Woolas: The information is as follows:
	 (a) New planning policy published by the Department for Communities and Local Government—Planning Policy Statement 25—aims to avoid and manage the risk of flooding to new development from all sources. Planning authorities should direct development to areas at least risk of flooding and consider how land use planning can reduce the risk of surface water flooding through the development of Surface Water Management Plans and sustainable drainage systems.
	 (b) For existing development, the impacts of surface water flooding can be mitigated by providing safe overland routes for the discharge of excess flows or improvements to below ground drainage. Below ground drainage is largely the responsibility of the water and sewerage companies for the public sewerage system, but also highway authorities for road drainage and private owners for drains and culverts on their land. Local planning authorities can ensure that drainage arrangements for surface water from new development do not impact on other areas.
	For the future, DEFRA is currently funding 15 pilot projects to identify improvements to the integrated management of urban drainage. We also intend to give the Environment Agency a strategic overview of all forms of flood risk, including risk from surface water.

Floods: Insurance

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what representations he has received from insurance companies on a review of the statement of principles in relation to flooding.

Phil Woolas: The Association of British Insurers (ABI)'s Statement of Principles sets out the commitments made by ABI members towards the continued availability of flood insurance cover, together with associated commitments by Government on effective flood risk management. We have a continuing dialogue with the insurance industry at both ministerial and official level and have agreed to work with the ABI to review the Statement over the coming months.

Floods: Insurance

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what plans he has to ensure that people who live in flood risk areas can afford insurance excesses following claims made as a result of flooding.

Phil Woolas: We are continuing to work with the Association of British Insurers (ABI) to support our mutual aim of ensuring continued widespread availability of flood insurance cover. The ABI's commitments on this and associated undertakings by Government on effective flood risk management are set out in the Statement of Principles.
	Premiums and excesses are not covered by the Statement. These will reflect different degrees of risk and are a matter for individual insurers. Following the recent flooding, a Flood Recovery working group, consisting of representatives from Government departments and the ABI, has been established to consider issues relating to flood recovery and insurance.
	The Government have also asked the Financial Inclusion Taskforce to work with the insurance industry to develop options for promoting increased take-up of key insurance products among financially excluded households. The Government will consider the Taskforce's recommendations in developing a detailed action plan for financial inclusion later this year.

TREASURY

Assets

Mark Hoban: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the value was of the indexation relief claimed on the disposal of  (a) business assets and  (b) non-business assets in each year since 1997.

Jane Kennedy: Estimates of the total cost of the indexation allowance to the Exchequer are published in Table A3.1 of the 2007 Financial Statement and Budget report. Estimates for 2007-08 are published in Table 7 of the 2007 Tax Ready Reckoner.
	Figures for the value of indexation relief claimed split by type of asset are not available and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Assets

Mark Hoban: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the effect of taper relief since inception on the length of time  (a) business and  (b) non-business assets were held.

Jane Kennedy: Table 14.9 of the capital gains tax National Statistics provides statistics on the distribution of length of time assets have been held by type of asset.
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/capital_gains/menu.htm
	Research carried out by Ipsos MORI on taxpayers' perceptions of the capital gains tax regime was published in December 2006.
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/research/cgt-final-report26.pdf

Capital Gains Tax

Mark Hoban: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the receipts from capital gains tax were in each month since May 1997.

Jane Kennedy: Annual receipts of capital gains tax are available in National Statistics table 1.2 on the HMRC website at the following address:
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/tax_receipts/menu.htm.
	Figures for monthly receipts of capital gains tax are not available.

Capital Gains Tax

Andrew George: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  whether he plans to introduce tax relief from the new flat rate of capital gains tax announced in his pre-Budget report for gains made on investments in second homes;
	(2)  what steps he will take to monitor the effect of the changes to capital gains tax announced in his pre-Budget report on the  (a) number of and  (b) trends in purchasing second homes.

Jane Kennedy: The 2007 pre-Budget report announced a reform of the capital gains tax regime. The Government keep all aspects of tax policy under review.

Civil Servants: Yorkshire and Humberside

Barry Sheerman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many jobs in the Civil Service there were in  (a) Yorkshire and Humberside and  (b) Huddersfield in 1997; and how many there are in each area.

Angela Eagle: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
	 Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 12 November 2007:
	As National Statistician I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question concerning how many jobs in the Civil Service there were in  (a) Yorkshire and Humberside and  (b) Huddersfield in 1997; and how many there are in each area now. (162164)
	The closest measure available is the full time equivalent number of people in employment in the civil service. These statistics are published only at the level of the Government Offices for the Regions i.e. Yorkshire and the Humber. In order to provide more detailed information, an ad hoc analysis has been required. This analysis is based on the Mandate survey which currently provides approximately 90 per cent. coverage of Civil Service departments and agencies. The most detailed level of information available is for Kirklees (including Huddersfield).
	
		
			  Civil service employment 
			  Full-time equivalents 
			   Yorkshire and the Humber  Civil service (Mandate only)-Kirklees (including Huddersfield) 
			 1997 (1 April) 32,270 1,030 
			 2006 (30 September) 39,250 1,070 
			  Source:  Civil Service Statistics/Mandate

Death: Eastern Region

Richard Spring: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many winter excess deaths there were in  (a) the East of England and  (b) Suffolk in each of the last five years.

Angela Eagle: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
	 Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 12 November 2007:
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your recent question asking how many winter excess deaths there were in (a) the East of England and (b) Suffolk in each of the last five years. (162584)
	Estimates of excess winter deaths relate to a four-month period from December of one year to March of the next year. The table below provides the number of excess winter deaths in (a) the East of England government office region and (b) Suffolk county for the years 2000/01 to 2004/05 (the latest available).
	
		
			  Table 1: Excess winter deaths( 1,)( 2) , East of England Government office region and Suffolk county( 3) , 2000-01 to 2004-05 
			  Deaths (persons) 
			  Winter  East of England  Suffolk 
			 2000-01 2,430 250 
			 2001-02 2,790 370 
			 2002-03 2,480 360 
			 2003-04 2,280 270 
			 2004-05 3,290 440 
			 (1) The estimated number of excess winter deaths is the difference between the number of deaths during the four winter months (December to March) and the average number of deaths during the preceding four months (August to November) and the following four months (April to July). Figures are rounded to the nearest 10.  (2) Data are based on deaths occurring in each month.  (3) Using boundaries as of 2007 for all years.

Industrial Building Allowances: Hotels

Geoffrey Cox: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many hotel businesses are claiming the industrial buildings allowance.

Jane Kennedy: The information requested is not available. Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs publishes information on the total industrial buildings allowances claimed against corporation tax broken down by sector. The latest information, to 2005, is available here:
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/corporate_tax/table11-10.pdf

Inheritance Tax: Wales

David Jones: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many estates of persons resident in Wales were liable to inheritance tax in each of the last three financial years.

Jane Kennedy: It is not possible to provide figures for England and Wales separately.

Manpower: Government Departments

David Gauke: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will place in the Library copies of the employee surveys relating to his Department for  (a) 2005,  (b) 2006 and  (c) 2007.

Angela Eagle: I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer the former Financial Secretary, my hon. Friend the Member for Westminster (Mr. Healey) gave on 1 March 2007,  Official Report, column 1489W.

National Insurance Contributions

Michael Penning: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much was raised from national insurance contributions in  (a) 2004-05,  (b) 2005-06 and  (c) 2006-07.

Jane Kennedy: Information on receipts of national insurance contributions is published in Table 1.2 on the HMRC website. A link to the most recent publication is
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/tax_receipts/table1-2.pdf

Northern Rock

Michael Fallon: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much has been paid by his Department to Goldman Sachs for its advice on Northern Rock.

Kitty Ussher: No money has yet been paid to Goldman Sachs for its advice on Northern Rock.

Pay

David Willetts: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the rate of earnings growth was for  (a) male and  (b) female employees aged (i) 18 to 29, (ii) 30 to 39, (iii) 40 to 49, (iv) 50 to 59 and (v) 60 years and over in each year since 1997.

Angela Eagle: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
	 Letter from Karren Dunnell, dated 12 November 2007:
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your recent parliamentary question asking the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the rate of earnings growth was for  (a) male and  (b) female employees aged (i) 18 to 29, (ii) 30 to 39, (iii) 40 to 49, (iv) 50 to 59 and (v) 60 years and over in each year since 1997. (162304)
	Levels of earnings are estimated from the Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE) and are provided for all full-time employees on adult rates of pay, whose pay for the survey period was not affected by absence. The ASHE, carried out in April each year, is the most comprehensive source of earnings information in the United Kingdom.
	I attach tables showing median gross weekly earnings for full-time males and full-time females by age from 1997 to 2007.
	
		
			  Gross weekly pay for full-time male employee jobs( a)  by age 
			   All employees  Percentage  growth  18-21  Percentage  growth  22-29  Percentage  growth 
			 1997 357 — 198 — 295 — 
			 1998 373 4.4 205 3.7 309 4.6 
			 1999 384 3.0 220 7.2 320 3.7 
			 2000 398 3.6 220 0.0 333 4.0 
			 2001 416 4.5 230 4.7 349 5.0 
			 2002 430 3.5 239 3.6 362 3.7 
			 2003 445 3.4 244 2.3 369 2.0 
			 2004excl 463 4.1 250 2.5 382 3.5 
		
	
	
		
			   30-39  Percentage  growth  40-49  Percentage  growth  50+( d)  Percentage  growth 
			 1997 380 — 416.1 — 360 — 
			 1998 396 4.0 432.2 3.9 376 4.4 
			 1999 405 2.2 444.9 2.9 387 3.0 
			 2000 421 4.2 456.5 2.6 397 2.7 
			 2001 440 4.4 472.7 3.5 416 4.6 
			 2002 452 2.8 488.5 3.3 430 3.4 
			 2003 474 4.8 505.0 3.4 443 3.2 
			 2004excl 491 3.6 529.1 4.8 462 4.2 
		
	
	
		
			   All employees  Percentage  growth  18-21  Percentage  growth  22-29  Percentage  growth  30-39  Percentage  growth 
			 2004inc(b) 460 — 250 — 376 — 488 — 
			 2005 471 2.4 253 1.4 380 1.1 508 4.0 
			 2006 487 3.4 262 3.6 392 3.2 527 3.9 
			 2006(c) 484 — 262 — 391 — 525 — 
			 2007 498 2.9 275 5.3 403 3.0 540 2.8 
		
	
	
		
			   40-49  Percentage  growth  50-59  Percentage growth  60+  Percentage  growth 
			 2004inc(b) 526 — 482 — 376 — 
			 2005 540 2.8 498 3.3 398 5.8 
			 2006 563 4.2 517 3.8 422 6.0 
			 2006(c) 559 — 516 — 422 — 
			 2007 575 3.0 534 3.4 442 4.9 
			 (a). Employees on adult rates whose pay for the survey pay-period was not affected by absence.  (b) In 2004 additional supplementary surveys were introduced to improve the coverage of the Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings. Figures are presented both excluding and including the additional surveys for comparison purposes.  (c). In 2006 a small number of methodological changes were introduced to improve the quality of the survey These include changes to the sample design itself, as well as the introduction of an automatic occupation coding tool. Figures are presented both excluding and including these changes for comparison purposes.  (d). Figures for 50-59 year olds and 60+ have only been produced since 2004. Prior to this the top age category produced was 50+. 
		
	
	
		
			  Gross weekly pay for full-time female employee jobsa by age 
			   All employees  Percentage  growth  18-21  Percentage  growth  22-29  Percentage  growth 
			 1997 265.2 — 170 — 253 — 
			 1998 276.5 4.2 177 4.2 264 4.0 
			 1999 288.5 4.3 186 4.8 277 5.3 
			 2000 298.1 3.3 192 3.2 288 3.8 
			 2001 314.3 5.4 202 5.6 307 6.7 
			 2002 330.7 5.2 212 4.6 325 5.7 
			 2003 343.0 3.7 221 4.3 330 1.7 
			 2004excl 360.8 5.2 230 4.4 349 5.8 
		
	
	
		
			   30-39  Percentage  growth  40-49  Percentage  growth  50+( d)  Percentage  growth 
			 1997 307 — 289 — 253 — 
			 1998 319 3.7 297 2.7 265 4.9 
			 1999 332 4.2 311 4.8 277 4.2 
			 2000 341 2.7 321 3.1 286 3.3 
			 2001 359 5.2 333 3.6 301 5.3 
			 2002 375 4.5 349 4.9 314 4.2 
			 2003 388 3.5 362 3.7 237 4.3 
			 2004excl 411 6.0 384 6.1 346 5.8 
		
	
	
		
			   All employees  Percentage growth  18-21  Percentage growth  22-29  Percentage growth  30-39  Percentage growth 
			 2004inc(b) 356.7 — 228 — 345 —408 —380 —350 
			 2005 371.4 4.1 233 1.9 353 2.2 426 4.5 
			 2006 385.8 3.9 240 3.2 364 3.3 448 5.2 
			 2006(c) 383.3 240 363 444 410 385 344  
			 2007 394.0 2.8 254 5.7 374 3.1 460 3.6 
		
	
	
		
			   40-49  Percentage  growth  50-59  Percentage  growth  60+d  Percentage  growth 
			 2004inc(b) 380 — 350 — 306 — 
			 2005 396 4.1 374 6.9 319 4.3 
			 2006 415 4.9 388 3.8 345 8.1 
			 2006(c) 410 — 385 — 344 — 
			 2007 420 2.4 396 2.9 357 4.0 
			 (a). Employees on adult rates whose pay for the survey pay-period was not affected by absence.  (b) In 2004 additional supplementary surveys were introduced to improve the coverage of the Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings. Figures are presented both excluding and including the additional surveys for comparison purposes.  (c). In 2006 a small number of methodological changes were introduced to improve the quality of the survey These include changes to the sample design itself, as well as the introduction of an automatic occupation coding tool. Figures are presented both excluding and including these changes for comparison purposes.  (d). Figures for 50-59 year olds and 60+ have only been produced since 2004. Prior to this the top age category produced was 50+.

Population

Chris Ruane: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people who were born in Wales now live in England; and how many who were born in England now live in Wales.

Angela Eagle: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
	 Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 12 November 2007:
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question concerning how many people who were born in Wales now live in England; and how many who were born in England now live in Wales. (162502)
	At the time, of the 2001 Census, there were 609,711 people born in Wales living in England and 589,828 people born in England living in Wales. These figures have been extracted from 2001 Census Table KS05—Country of Birth.

Revenue and Customs: Buildings

Tim Farron: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what factors are taken into account in decisions on consolidation of the HM Revenue and Customs estate at regional level.

Jane Kennedy: HMRC considers the impact of its plans on customers, staff, business efficiency, diversity and the local community before making decisions. The plans are subject to a widespread consultation process with staff, trade unions, MPs, local authorities and other interests. This provides an opportunity for further information to be given to the HMRC review team.

Tax Allowances

Mark Hoban: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what his most recent estimate is of the value of unutilised indexation relief.

Jane Kennedy: There are no estimates of the value of unutilised indexation relief. Estimates of the cost of the indexation allowance to the exchequer are published in table A3.1 of the 2007 Financial Statement and Budget Report. Estimates for 2007-08 are published in table 7 of the 2007 Tax Ready Reckoner.

Taxation: Car Allowances

David Drew: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will review  (a) the upper ceiling on mileage payments for volunteer car drivers of 40p per mile and  (b) the threshold of 10,000 miles above which mileage allowances are taxed.

Jane Kennedy: There is no upper ceiling on mileage payments for volunteer car drivers. HMRC allows volunteers to use the Approved Mileage Allowance Payment (AMAP) rate for convenience, but it is not mandatory and volunteer drivers can claim tax relief for the full cost of motoring by completing a return, if they wish to do so.

Taxation: Self-Assessment

Martin Horwood: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many fines were issued for the late return of income tax returns by each tax office in England and Wales in each year from 2000 to 2005; and how many of those fines were subsequently refunded in each of those years.

Jane Kennedy: I refer the hon. Member to the written reply given on 17( )November 2005,  Official Report, column 1517W. The table provides details of penalty notices issued for failure to file self-assessment tax returns by the due date for the latest full years 2005-06 and 2006-07. As stated in the earlier reply, no details are held regarding the numbers of penalties subsequently refunded.
	
		
			  Locations  2005-06  2006-07 
			 Beds/W. Herts 25,826 26,429 
			 Berks. 16,957 16,841 
			 Birm Solihull 28,396 29,720 
			 Bris/N. Somst 34,277 36,951 
			 Cambs. 18,233 18,676 
			 Cent. Yorks 23,966 25,556 
			 Chapel W. 85,694 82,835 
			 Claims — 102 
			 Cornwll/Plym 51,151 54,942 
			 Cumbria 7,465 7,229 
			 Devon 31,837 33,094 
			 Dors/S. Wilts 5,848 6,144 
			 E. Ches/S. Lancs 23,915 25,212 
			 E. Hamp/Wight 35,568 40,653 
			 E. Hert/W. Ess 21,134 20,041 
			 E. Lancs 20,257 20,544 
			 G. Belfast 11,899 12,935 
			 Glos/N. Wilts 19,123 19,044 
			 Humber 20,659 20,730 
			 Kent 54,822 54,828 
			 LBO 1,158 1,167 
			 Leic/Northnt 51,102 61,639 
			 Lincoln 12,514 12,670 
			 Lisburn 3,410 3,752 
			 London 1,592 902 
			 Lothians 42,264 51,709 
			 Manchester 22,390 22,529 
			 Merseyside 26,821 27,322 
			 Midlands W 13,432 13,564 
			 N. E. Metro 46,208 50,781 
			 N. I. Counties 27,712 30,293 
			 Norfolk 25,804 26,621 
			 Northumbria 15,427 15,902 
			 Notts/Derby 27,479 29,780 
			 N. Wales 25,939 30,309 
			 NW Lancs 17,456 17,546 
			 NW Mids/Shrop 21,559 24,236 
			 N. Yorks 14,416 14,179 
			 Oxon/Bucks 24,449 23,760 
			 PD1 3,529 3,009 
			 CNR 38,832 34,865 
			 Scot Cent 14,502 12,490 
			 Scot East 8,793 7,745 
			 Scotland West 13,907 11,616 
			 Scot North 9,736 8,374 
			 Scot Sch E W 52,460 62,959 
			 Scot South 14,086 13,856 
			 Sefton 94,959 102,608 
			 S. Essex 20,716 19,184 
			 Somerset 11,902 12,393 
			 Staffs. 17,930 18,555 
			 Suff and N. Ex 31,644 33,143 
			 Surr/N. Hamp 23,007 22,438 
			 Sussex 35,304 37,199 
			 S. Wales 58,756 61,207 
			 S. Yorks 25,759 27,838 
			 Tees Valley 52,822 55,698 
			 Trusts 17,578 15,885 
			 Warck/Cov 20,309 20,178 
			 Wear/S. Tyne 12,630 12,537 
			 W. Hampshire 24,497 26,180 
			 W. Lancs/W. Ches 26,342 28,540 
			 Worcs/Herefd 14,037 14,139 
			 W. Wales 15,891 16,721 
			 W. York/Cravn 40,796 44,717 
			 Total 1,658,883 1,735,241

VAT

David Gauke: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  how many and what proportion of VAT registration applications were processed within the target time in each of the last three calendar months;
	(2)  how many and what proportion of VAT registration applications received in 2007 were not processed within  (a) 40,  (b) 50 and  (c) 60 days;
	(3)  what the average processing time for VAT registration applications has been for each VAT registration unit since 31 July.

Jane Kennedy: The number and proportion of VAT registration applications processed within target time (14 days) in August, September and October 2007 are set out in the following table. The figures for August and September have been updated since the answer I gave on 23 October 2007,  Official Report, column 257W, to the hon. Member for Brentwood and Ongar (Mr. Pickles).
	 [Official Report, 15 January 2008; Vol. 470, c. 10MC.]
	
		
			  Month  Number processed within target time  Percentage processed within target time 
			 August 3,844 16 
			 September 5,597 22 
			 October 14,493 44 
		
	
	These latest figures represent an upturn in HMRC performance, and early signs of success for the improvement measures outlined in my earlier response. This upturn has taken place against an operational background that continues to present challenges, and alongside the ongoing need to operate pre-registration checks to protect the Exchequer against serious frauds such as Missing Trader Intra-Community (MTIC) fraud.

Vulture Funds

Michael Penning: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he had discussions with Ministers from other EU states to consider co-ordinated action to outlaw the activities of vulture funds; and if he will make a statement.

Kitty Ussher: The UK is determined to stop so-called "vulture" funds profiting from poor countries. The UK has been working through the G7 and the Paris Club to tackle this problem. In addition, Ministers have a range of discussions with EU and other international partners on international development and related issues.
	We are also focusing on creating a level playing field in which heavily indebted poor countries heavily indebted poor countries countries have the resources and expertise to defend themselves. In this context, we are working with the African Development Bank to develop proposals for a legal assistance facility to ensure that countries have access to high-quality legal advice to help them fight law suits.

Vulture Funds

Michael Penning: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether the activities of vulture funds were discussed at the recent annual meetings of the International Monetary Fund and World Bank; and if he will make a statement.

Kitty Ussher: The Chancellor raised this issue with G7 Finance Ministers at the Annual Meetings. In their statement, Finance Ministers reiterated their concern about the problem of aggressive litigation against HIP countries. They welcomed the steps already taken by the Paris Club to address this problem and urged all sovereign creditors not to sell on claims on HIPCs. G7 Finance Ministers are examining additional steps that might be taken to address this problem.

Vulture Funds

Michael Penning: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the Government's policy is on calls by the Finance Ministers of heavily indebted poor countries for  (a) codes of conduct to be agreed for creditors not to sell sovereign debts on secondary markets and  (b) international lawyers not to represent litigants who sue poor countries in pursuit of these debts; and if he will make a statement.

Kitty Ussher: With respect to the sale of debts, Paris Club creditors have publicly stated their commitment not to sell their claims on HIPCs to creditors that might not be willing to implement the HIPC initiative. In their October statement, G7 Finance Ministers welcomed this step and urged all sovereign creditors not to sell claims on HIPCs. We will take forward discussions on this issue in international forums and with private-sector creditors.
	So far as legal representation is concerned, we believe the right approach is to focus on creating a level playing field in which HIP countries have the resources and expertise to defend themselves. In this context, we are working with the African Development Bank to develop proposals for a legal assistance facility to ensure that countries have access to high quality legal advice to help them fight law suits.

Welfare Tax Credits

David Lidington: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  whether he has set HM Customs and Revenue a date by which to complete the review of tax credit cases referred to in the written statement of 25 July 2007,  Official Report, columns 62-3WS, on tax credit administration;
	(2)  how many households HM Customs and Revenue has written to in respect of tax credit awards for  (a) 2003-04,  (b) 2004-05 and  (c) 2005-06 with reference to the written statement of 25 July 2007,  Official Report, columns 62-3WS, on tax credit administration;
	(3)  what action he has taken to deal with the tax credit cases affected by the administrative problems described in the written statement of 25 July 2007,  Official Report, columns 62-3WS on tax credit administration.

Jane Kennedy: HM Revenue and Customs has started a planned programme of work to review around 100,000 tax credits awards from 2003-04, 75,000 cases from 2004-05 and 75,000 from 2005-06, and has written to advise the households affected.
	HMRC is working to complete this review as quickly as possible.

Welfare Tax Credits

David Gauke: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer with reference to the written statement of 25 July 2007,  Official Report, columns 62-3WS on tax credit administration, 
	(1)  how many tax credit claimants have were mistakenly notified by HM Revenue and Customs that their finalised tax credit awards had been reopened incorrectly and that overpayments would be remitted, and what the value was of the remittances made to such tax credits claimants;
	(2)  how many tax credit claimants were notified by HM Revenue and Customs that their finalised tax credit awards had been reopened incorrectly and that overpayments would be remitted, and what the value was of the remittances made to such tax credits claimants.

Jane Kennedy: HM Revenue and Customs wrote to around 250,000 households in August and September about reviewing or inquiring into awards in order to correct an administrative error. The programme to take forward this action is now under way. No tax credits claimants have yet been advised that their overpayments will be remitted as a result of this exercise.

Welfare Tax Credits

Michael Penning: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what his latest estimate is of the number of compensation payments due to errors and delays in tax credit office administration in  (a) 2003-04,  (b) 2004-05,  (c) 2005-06 and  (d) 2006-07; and if he will make a statement.

Jane Kennedy: The circumstances in which HM Revenue and Customs will make compensation payments to its customers are explained in the Department's fact sheet 'Complaints and Putting Things Right', which is available at:
	www.hmrc.gov.uk
	For information on the number of compensation payments made each year for 2003-04, 2004-05 and 2005-06 I refer the hon. Member to the reply that the Paymaster General gave the hon. Member for St. Albans (Anne Main) on 18 January 2007,  Official Report , column 1346W. The updated figure for the number of compensation payments for 2006-07 is estimated to be 7,800.

Welfare Tax Credits: Bexleyheath

David Evennett: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many individuals in the Bexleyheath and Crayford constituency were overpaid tax credits in each financial year since the inception of tax credits.

Jane Kennedy: Estimates of the number of families with tax credit awards, including information on overpayments and underpayments by constituency, based on final family circumstances and incomes, for the years 2003-04, 2004-05 and 2005-06 are available in the HMRC publications "Child and Working Tax Credits Statistics. Finalised Annual Awards. Supplement on Payments. Geographical Analyses" for each relevant year. These publications are available on the HMRC website at:
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/personal-tax-credits/cwtc-geog-stats.htm
	Information on the level of overpaid tax credit awards in 2006-07 will not be available until May 2008.

Welfare Tax Credits: Overpayments

Sammy Wilson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people in  (a) England and Wales,  (b) Northern Ireland and  (c) the UK received overpayments of each type of tax credit in each of the last three years.

Jane Kennedy: Estimates of the numbers of families with tax credits awards, including overpayments and underpayments by country, based on final family circumstances and incomes, for the years 2004-05 and 2005-06 are available in Table 1.1 in the HMRC publication "Child and Working Tax Credits. Finalised Awards. Supplement on Payments. Geographical Analyses", for each relevant year. These publications are available on the HMRC website at:
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/personal-tax-credits/cwtc-geog-stats.htm
	Information for over and under payments in 2006-07 will not be available until May 2008.
	Information broken down by country for each type of tax credit is not available.

Welfare Tax Credits: Overpayments

Sammy Wilson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  how many people in the UK received overpayments of more than £2,000 in each type of tax credit in each of the last three years;
	(2)  how many people received overpayments of more than £5,000 of each type of tax credit in the United Kingdom in each of the last three years.

Jane Kennedy: Information on the number of tax credit awards, by size of over and under payment in 2004-05 and 2005-06, is produced in Table 3 of the HMRC publications "Child and Working Tax Credits Statistics. Finalised Annual Awards. Supplement on Payments" for each relevant year. These publications are available on the HMRC website at:
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/personal-tax-credits/cwtc-quarterly-stats.htm
	Information for over and under payments in 2006-07 will not be available until May 2008.
	Information broken down by size of over-or underpayment by each type of tax credit is not available.

Working Tax Credits

Michael Penning: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people in each parliamentary constituency have been in receipt of the incorrect level of working tax credit; and if he will make a statement.

Jane Kennedy: Estimates of the number of families with tax credit awards, including information on overpayments and underpayments by constituency, based on final family circumstances and incomes, for the years 2003-04,2004-05 and 2005-06 are available in the HMRC publications "Child and Working Tax Credits Statistics. Finalised Annual Awards. Supplement on Payments. Geographical Analyses", for each relevant year. These publications are available on the HMRC website at:
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/personal-tax-credits/cwtc-geog-stats.htm

JUSTICE

Charles Roy Taylor

John Hemming: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  for what reasons Charles Roy Taylor has been committed in HMP Nottingham; for how long he has been committed; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  for how long and for what reason Charles Roy Taylor has been committed to HMP Nottingham; and if he will make a statement.

Maria Eagle: My Department will not comment on individual prisoners.

Children: Video Games

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much his Department spent on its 2001 review of the effect of computer games on young children.

David Hanson: This was an internal piece of work conducted in 2001 and there was no cost to the Department other than internal staff time.

Crown Courts: Wales

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many staff working in Crown Courts in England reside in Wales.

Maria Eagle: The Ministry of Justice currently employs 2,692 staff in the Crown Courts of Her Majesty's Courts Service agency—as at 30 September 2007. Of the employees who have recorded personal address details available on our Oracle HR system, a total of 60 staff or 2.3 per cent. are recorded as residing in Wales but working for our courts in England.
	
		
			  Crown court staff in England and Wales 
			  Regions of Crown Courts /CCs  Employee resides  Total residing in Wales 
			 North west region Cheshire 51 
			  Clwyd 2 
			  Flintshire 4 
			  Wrexham 1 
			
			 South west Gwent 2 
			
			 Total staff in Crown Courts—2,692 — 60

Police Custody

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many convicted prisoners have been held overnight in police cells or custody suites in Wales; and for how many nights each prisoner has been so held, broken down by police force area.

David Hanson: Figures for convicted prisoners are not held separately. Between 22 January and 7 November 2007, convicted and remand prisoners were held under Operation Safeguard in police cells in Wales on 3,863 occasions. The number of occasions does not correspond precisely to the number of prisoners: one occasion means one prisoner night in a police cell.
	This total breaks down by police force as follows:
	
		
			   Number 
			 Dyfed Powys 615 
			 South Wales 1,054 
			 North Wales 1,478 
			 Gwent 716

Police: Wales

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many prison officers in each of the Welsh prison establishments  (a) retired on ill health grounds,  (b) took early retirement and  (c) were dismissed from the Prison Service in each year since 1997.

David Hanson: Information on officer-grade staff leaving Welsh prisons is shown in the following table. Information is only available from 1998.
	
		
			  Prison officers, senior officers and principal officers leaving from Welsh prisons—1998 to 2007 
			  Establishment  Reason  1998  1999  2000  2001  2002  2003  2004  2005  2006  2007 
			 Cardiff Medical retirement 3 1 2 3 2 2 1 2 1 — 
			  Early retirement (1)— (1)— (1)— (1)— — — 2 1 — — 
			  Dismissals — — 1 1 3 — — — 1 — 
			 
			 Swansea Medical retirement 2 3 1 1 1 2 — — 1 — 
			  Early retirement (1)— (1)— (1)— (1)— — — — — — — 
			  Dismissals — — 1 — 1 — — — — — 
			 
			 Usk/Prescoed Medical retirement 1 2 — — — — — — — — 
			  Early retirement (1)— (1)— (1)— (1)— — — — — — — 
			  Dismissals — — — — — 1 — — — — 
			 
			 Parc Medical retirement — — — — — — — — — — 
			  Early retirement — — — — — — — — — — 
			  Dismissals 2 6 5 2 2 1 1 9 6 8 
			 
			 Total — 8 12 10 7 9 6 4 12 9 8 
			 (1) Age at retirement was not recorded prior to 2002.

Youth Juries

Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the cost of the proposed pilot on youth juries is; what the objectives of the policy are; whether there are any plans to extend this beyond Lancashire; and if he will make a statement.

David Hanson: Peer panels in Lancashire were awarded just under £487,500 under a the Treasury's Invest to Save award. In addition they were given a further £150,000 by local partners, the community safety partnership 'Safer Preston'. For the Treasury funds to be awarded over the three years, the project must meet the objectives agreed with the Treasury at the time of the bid.
	The aim of peer panels is to reduce the number of young people reaching court unnecessarily, for petty low-level offences for which it is not always in the public interest to prosecute. This exciting and innovative scheme seeks to reduce the burden on Courts' and youth offender teams' time and resources which will allow them to deal with more serious cases more effectively.
	The Government await the outcomes of the peer panel evaluations before any decisions are made on whether this scheme should be extended beyond Lancashire.

NORTHERN IRELAND

Motor Vehicles: Excise Duties

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many vehicles on the roads of Northern Ireland are estimated not to have road tax paid on them; and what assessment he has made of how this figure compares on a pro-rata basis with the other nations and regions of the United Kingdom.

Shaun Woodward: This is now a matter for the Northern Ireland administration.

Police: Northern Ireland

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will, with the Policing Board, review the underlying basis for consideration of the location of the police training college in the light of the forthcoming availability as a potential police college of the Ballykelly army base.

Paul Goggins: The Government's overriding priority is to make sure that we have a new, high-quality and integrated public services training college. Desertcreat has been chosen as the preferred site after very careful consideration and there is no intention to reopen consideration of the site.

COMMUNITIES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Fire Services: Manpower

Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many firefighters employed by fire authorities in England reside in Wales.

Parmjit Dhanda: The information requested is not held centrally and could be provided only at a disproportionate cost.

Fire Services: West Midlands

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps the Government have taken to improve fire services in the West Midlands.

Parmjit Dhanda: Fire and rescue authorities are responsible for their own improvement. The Government set out performance expectations in the Fire and Rescue National Framework. The Audit Commission regularly assesses the performance of all fire and rescue authorities, and identifies areas of strengths and areas for improvement which fire and rescue authorities are expected to address. The Government fund the Audit Commission for conducting this work. In 2005, the Audit Commission assessed West Midlands fire and rescue authority as "good" in the comprehensive performance assessment for the fire and rescue service. Since then, the West Midlands has been judged as "improving well" by the Audit Commission in their 2006-07 performance assessment work and as "performing well" in their use of resources and delivery of value for money and in their front-line service delivery.
	In addition to their performance assessment work, the Audit Commission has a local "relationship manager" for each fire and rescue authority who can provide ongoing advice to authorities on improvement issues. Fire and rescue authorities also have access to the joint Department for Communities and Local Government and Local Government Association capacity building programme through their Regional Improvement and Efficiency Partnership.

Floods: Cornwall

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what financial assistance her Department provided to the town of Boscastle following flooding there.

John Healey: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer given by the Minister for the Environment, my hon. Friend the Member for Oldham, East and Saddlworth (Mr. Woolas), on 29 October 2007,  Official Report, column 719W.

Local Area Agreements

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government when she will publish guidance on local area agreements.

John Healey: Guidance on the negotiation of new Local Area Agreements (LAAs) was published on the Department for Communities and Local Government website in September:
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/publications/localgovernment/negotiatingnewlaas
	This was the first part of operational guidance. The second part, which will deal with the technical issues surrounding implementation of the new framework for LAAs, will be published shortly.
	The Government will also shortly be publishing draft statutory guidance. 'Creating Strong, Safe and Prosperous Communities', to accompany sections of the Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Act 2007, including Local Area Agreement clauses (clauses 103-118 of the Act). This guidance will set out what the different stages of the new statutory LAA process will look like, together with what will be expected from the upper-tier local authorities responsible for preparing an LAA and their partners. This guidance will be finalised in the new year following consultation.

Local Authorities: Standards

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the minimum number of national indicators is that local authorities will be able to select to set targets for their performance.

John Healey: The Local Area Agreement (LAA) will consist of local improvement targets which have been designated by the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government and non-designated local improvement targets which the local authority and its partners may decide to include in the agreement if they consider it necessary. All designated targets will be drawn from the national indicator set and based on the priorities agreed for the local area. The minimum number of designated targets in each agreement has not been specified, but will be subject to negotiation. However, there will be a maximum of 35 in each LAA.

Local Government: Manpower

Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many employees of local government in England reside in Wales.

John Healey: The information requested is not held centrally, and can be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Quarrying: Hampshire

Desmond Swayne: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government when she plans to issue Hampshire County Council with revised tonnages for sand and gravel extraction for the purposes of formulating the Hampshire Regional Plan; and if she will make a statement.

Parmjit Dhanda: The South East England Regional Assembly, as the relevant regional planning body, is currently preparing a revised sub-regional apportionment of primary land-won aggregates as a partial review of the draft South East Plan. The Regional Assembly's present timetable envisages that this policy review would be subject to a pre-submission public consultation between May and July 2008, envisages and a final submission of the recommended policy to the Secretary of State in December 2008. There would then be a further public consultation followed by an examination in public in 2009. The date on which the approved revised sub-regional apportionment will be published will depend upon how long this process takes, but we would expect to do so in the second half of 2009.

Schools: Finance

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what guidance she has issued to schools Forums on the proportion of a local authority's Bellwin threshold costs which they ought to meet from the dedicated schools grant.

John Healey: No separate guidance has been issued to Schools Forums.

Thames Gateway Bridge: Finance

David Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what recent estimate she has made of the cost of the proposed Thames Gateway Bridge.

Iain Wright: Transport for London's evidence to the public inquiry into the proposed Thames Gateway Bridge estimated that the total funding requirement for the project would be £640.7 million; and that the annual operational cost of the scheme would be between £4.379 million and £5.250 million.
	There will be an opportunity to consider any revised evidence that is presented on the cost of the proposed Bridge at the reopened public inquiry, the earliest anticipated date for which is in spring 2009.

WORK AND PENSIONS

Children: Maintenance

Andrew Selous: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the costs of setting up the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission as a non-departmental public body.

James Plaskitt: Officials are currently developing plans to establish the commission. As these plans are still under development, cost estimates are subject to change and it is therefore not possible to provide the requested information at this time. We expect to have robust cost estimates by the time the Child Maintenance and Other Payments Bill receives Royal Assent.

Jobseeker's Allowance

Mark Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many jobseeker's allowance claimants stopped claiming benefit in each month since 1992.

James Plaskitt: The information is in the following tables.
	
		
			  Number leaving unemployment benefits and jobseeker's allowance in Great Britain: January 1992 to September 2007 
			   1992  1993  1994  1995  1996  1997  1998  1999 
			 January 190,642 253,196 270,908 275,216 207,808 217,855 161,795 211,763 
			 February 376,643 328,437 336,358 318,069 283,170 394,236 336,577 253,951 
			 March 301,720 328,229 330,673 311,181 370,714 307,706 262,935 259,047 
			 April 283,938 303,811 391,365 362,335 266,274 285,320 242,472 245,428 
			 May 364,652 404,240 331,626 295,051 299,334 280,629 288,936 311,468 
			 June 301,136 309,946 310,346 283,163 334,859 344,672 231,813 240,924 
			 July 291,184 310,041 387,135 344,357 266,357 260,122 222,398 242,571 
			 August 362,932 387,570 312,984 286,948 259,630 320,882 290,062 307,593 
			 September 326,164 348,793 344,374 410,335 381,390 305,224 272,294 262,408 
			 October 396,791 515,928 497,625 361,103 362,229 320,724 284,084 342,963 
			 November 384,325 326,687 320,798 293,069 385,049 337,751 298,472 242,886 
			 December 275,642 271,198 272,759 289,752 225,240 225,981 216,932 219,838 
		
	
	
		
			   2000  2001  2002  2003  2004  2005  2006  2007 
			 January 184,043 152,793 139,510 130,575 126,576 161,940 160,959 150,193 
			 February 253,222 236,409 274,592 269,156 258,678 191,272 183,427 204,966 
			 March 250,926 235,242 227,003 221,923 212,931 189,645 196,920 210,965 
			 April 310,809 285,730 221,965 224,325 201,804 229,208 228,094 246,102 
			 May 230,139 204,914 220,020 190,190 241,144 183,946 186,049 202,381 
			 June 226,338 263,532 254,474 257,688 201,444 185,474 191,088 252,557 
			 July 285,453 207,133 209,270 207,402 188,033 228,097 233,612 199,562 
			 August 227,673 202,075 211,895 251 ,949 224,595 179,492 195,561 192,324 
			 September 308,302 278,149 281,752 225,898 197,451 184,676 253,183 263,806 
			 October 249,588 232,108 235,403 225,572 252,423 243,572 214,780 — 
			 November 222,370 204,896 259,970 252,007 185,489 184,248 206,531 — 
			 December 243,096 228,869 185,162 179,137 170,572 164,094 218,099 — 
			  Notes:  1. Figures are unrounded.  2. Jobseeker's allowance was introduced in October 1996 and replaced unemployment benefit.   Source:  Figures are produced from 100 per cent. monthly flows data available on the NOMIS website—the preferred data source—and exclude a small number of clerically held cases.

New Deal Schemes: Contracts

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will list those contractors who have won contracts under the New Deal in each of the last three years; and what the value of each contract was.

Caroline Flint: No new contracts for New Deal services were awarded in 2004 or 2005. Contracts were competitively re-tendered during 2005-06 and new contracts were awarded which started between March and July 2006.
	A list of contractors who have won contracts under the New Deal programme in the last three years is provided as follows. Information on the value on each individual contract is not currently available but will be placed in the Library as soon as possible.
	 New Deal  p roviders awarded contracts in the last three years
	A4e (Action for Employment)
	Armstrong Learning
	Best Ltd.
	Birmingham Chamber of Commerce
	Biscom Resource Management
	Bournemouth and Poole College
	BTCV
	Career Development Group
	Carmarthenshire CC Training and Technology Centre
	Claverhouse Training
	Community Links
	Crosby Training
	DASH Training South Wales LLP
	DISC
	Dudley MBC Future Skills
	East Dunbartonshire Council
	Glasgow Mentoring Network
	Hyfforddiant Ceredigion Training
	Inbiz
	Inspire to Independence
	Instant Muscle
	Juniper Training
	Kennedy Scott
	Lauder College
	Management Introductions
	MBW Training Services LLP
	Moray College
	Norfolk and Waveney Enterprise Agency
	North Hertfordshire College
	Pembrokeshire CC
	Pertemps People Development Group
	Prospects Services
	Quadrant Media and Communications Ltd.
	Reed in Partnership PLC
	Scottish Cultural Enterprise Ltd.
	Scout Enterprises
	SCVO
	SEETEC
	Sencia Ltd.
	Shackleton Associates
	Shropshire County Training
	Skills Training
	SOVA
	Standguide
	Steps to Work Walsall
	Support into Work
	Support Training Ltd.
	Swansea College
	TBG Learning
	TD Training Ltd.
	The Calderdale Colleges Corporation
	The Wise Group
	Training Network Group Ltd.
	Training West Lancs Ltd.
	Triage Central Ltd.
	Tydfil Training Consortium
	Voluntary Action Vale Royal
	Warwickshire CC
	West Lothian Council
	Work Directions UK
	Work First
	Working Links
	WTCS
	YMCA Training
	 Source: Jobcentre Plus Commercial Employment Provision.

Pensions: Females

Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether women who draw a retirement pension based on their husband's contributions receive a higher rate of pension if their husband defers drawing his pension at the age of 65; and if he will make a statement.

Mike O'Brien: A woman who has reached state pension age can build up extra state pension, or a lump-sum payment, on that part of her state pension, based on her husband's national insurance contributions if he puts off claiming his state pension provided that she is not in receipt of a pension based on her own contributions or certain other social security benefits.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Departmental Manpower

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many Welsh speakers his Department employs.

Meg Munn: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office recruits its UK-based staff from all parts of the UK. Our records do not show whether staff are able to speak Welsh.

Entry Clearances: Tourism

David Gauke: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what percentage of applications for a holiday visa to visit the UK were rejected for the most recent period for which figures are available in respect of  (a) applications made from Thailand and  (b) all applications.

Kim Howells: UKvisas does not use a 'holiday visa' category. Instead, UK visit visa applications are recorded as either 'family visitor' or 'other visitor'.
	The following table displays the percentage of 'family visitor' UK visa applications and 'other visitor' UK visa applications refused by our Embassy in Bangkok and all UK missions overseas, for the financial year 2006-07.
	
		
			  All visit visa applications for all UK missions and Bangkok (financial year 2006-07) 
			   Other Visitor  Family Visit 
			   Applications received  Refused  Percentage of visas refused  Applications received  Refused  Percentage of visas refused 
			 Bangkok 26,400 2,930 11 4711 538 11 
			 All Posts 1,409,162 200,502 14 514,607 132,767 26 
			  Note:  This data is unpublished and should be strictly treated as provisional.

European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages

Angus MacNeil: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps the Government have taken to implement their responsibilities under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages since signing the Charter.

Jim Murphy: The UK ratified the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages on 27 March 2001 and the charter entered into force for the UK on 1 July 2001. The UK recognises Welsh, Irish, Scottish-Gaelic, Ulster Scots, Manx Gaelic, Cornish and Scots under the charter's definition of a regional or minority language.
	The charter's monitoring mechanism requires member states party to the charter to produce, a year after entry into force of the charter for the state and thereafter every three years, a periodical report detailing the policy pursued under Part II of the charter and the measures taken in application of those provisions of Part III of the charter which they have accepted. Since ratification the UK has produced two such periodical reports, the first published on 1 July 2002 and the second on 1 July 2005. The UK's third periodical report is due for publication on 1 July 2008.
	The UK's first and second periodical reports can be found on the Council of Europe website at:
	http://www.coe.int/t/e/legal_affairs/local_and_ regional_democracy/regional_or_minority_languages/ 2_Monitoring/Monitoring_table.asp#TopOfPage

Guantanamo Bay: Detainees

Andrew Tyrie: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with the US Administration on his request for the release of Shaker Aamer, Jamil El Banna, Omar Deghayes, Binyam Mohamed and Abdennour Sameur from Guantanamo Bay; what assessment he has made of the likelihood of their release; and if he will make a statement.

Kim Howells: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary wrote to US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice on 7 August to request the release from Guantanamo Bay and return to the UK of five men (Shaker Aamer, Jamil El Banna, Omar Deghayes, Binyam Mohamed and Abdennour Sameur) who, while not British nationals, were legally resident here prior to their detention.
	Discussions with the US Administration are ongoing and are confidential between our Governments. While we continue to give the matter due priority, we cannot guarantee that we will be successful.

Guatemala: Children

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent representations he has made to the Government of Guatemala on the level of violence against street children in that country.

Meg Munn: Our embassy in Guatemala City, along with EU colleagues, regularly raises human rights issues with the Government of Guatemala. We continue to urge Guatemala to improve security and health provision for the most vulnerable sectors of society, including street children.
	On 15 October the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) hosted a meeting between Guatemalan Vice President Eduardo Stein and Minister of Foreign Affairs Gert Rosenthal and several non-governmental organisations, including Christian Aid, Amnesty International and Casa Alianza. The non-governmental organisations were able to put their concerns directly to the delegation. Child rights and the problems faced by street children including the alarming number of murders were discussed. On 30 October, FCO officials in London held a discussion forum with a number of international child rights non-governmental organisations to identify further opportunities for intervention.
	On 25 September our Ambassador in Guatemala City, in partnership with EU ambassadors, met Alvaro Colom (since elected as the next President of Guatemala). They discussed a range of human rights issues. Our ambassador emphasised the importance of improving the protection and rights of children and undertook to develop this dialogue further with the new Administration. The FCO also sponsored a project earlier this year in which 800 Guatemalan police officers were trained in the rights of street children.

Iraq: Manpower

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many of his Department's personnel are in each province of Iraq; what role they are playing in each province; and if he will make a statement.

Kim Howells: There are 42 Foreign and Commonwealth Office personnel employed in Iraq. Publicising the exact numbers in each province would risk compromising their security. They are supporting the democratically elected Government of Iraq in their efforts to forge a future for the country based on reconciliation, democracy, good governance, economic prosperity and regional security.

Iraq: Manpower

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many third country nationals of each nationality have been employed by his Department in Iraq in each year since 2003; and if he will make a statement.

Kim Howells: No third country nationals have been employed in Iraq by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office since 2003.

Iraq: Resettlement

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs for what reasons the assistance package to locally employed staff in Iraq is limited to staff who have attained 12 months or more of continuous service; and if he will make the assistance available to all locally employed staff who are made redundant or have to resign from their jobs because of what the Government judge to be exceptional circumstances.

Kim Howells: We are focusing on staff who have given us dedicated service over a period of time. Staff who have not yet worked for us for 12 months but reach that mark in future will become eligible at that time. A 12-month requirement is not unique to the UK; it is also a feature of the US Special Immigrant Visa programme for its Iraqi staff. We have no plans to extend the assistance scheme.

Iraq: Security Guards

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what private contractors have provided protection services for his Department in  (a) Iraq and  (b) Afghanistan in each year since 2003.

Kim Howells: The information requested by the hon. Member is as follows:
	 Iraq
	2003: Control Risks
	2004: ArmorGroup, Control Risks
	2005: ArmorGroup, Control Risks
	2006: ArmorGroup, Control Risks, GardaWorld (formerly Kroll Security Group)
	2007: Control Risks, GardaWorld
	ArmorGroup provided static security until 2006, when GardaWorld (formerly Kroll Security Group) took over this contract. Control Risks provides mobile security. Both contracts were subject to a retender in early 2006.
	 Afghanistan
	2003: ArmorGroup
	2004: ArmorGroup
	2005: ArmorGroup, Edinburgh International
	2006: ArmorGroup, Edinburgh International
	2007: ArmorGroup
	ArmorGroup provides both static and mobile security. This contract was subject to a retender in late 2006. Edinburgh International provided a one-off contract for both static and mobile security services for a project between 2005-06.
	The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) ensures that all contracts are subject to a rigorous selection process so that we obtain best value for money. Any company engaged by the FCO needs to pass through a stringent and transparent procurement process in line with public procurement guidelines and best practice.

Pakistan: Politics and Government

Michael Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the Pakistan Government following the decision by President Musharraf to suspend that country's constitution.

David Miliband: The Government have made numerous representations to the Government of Pakistan at various levels since President Musharraf declared a state of emergency. I myself have spoken to Prime Minister Aziz and to Foreign Minister Kasuri. In both cases, I urged the Government of Pakistan to act quickly to restore the constitution, to ensure free and fair elections on schedule in January, to release all political prisoners, to lift media restrictions and to honour the commitment that President Musharraf steps down as Chief of Army Staff by 15 November.
	I refer the hon. Member to the statement I made to the House on 7 November 2007,  Official Report, columns 130-32.

Pakistan: Politics and Government

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with President Musharraf of Pakistan on the situation in that country; and what steps he plans to take in relation to the replacement of the Chief Justice of Pakistan.

Kim Howells: My right hon. Friend the Prime Minister spoke to President Musharraf on 1 November. My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary spoke to Prime Minister Aziz and to Foreign Minister Kasuri on 5 November. In all cases, we stressed the vital importance that we place on Pakistan' acting quickly to restore the constitution and the rule of law, which includes a legitimate and independent judiciary.
	I refer my hon. Friend to my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary's statement to the House on 7 November 2007,  Official Report, columns 130-132.

Pakistan: Politics and Government

Phyllis Starkey: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the political situation in Pakistan.

Kim Howells: We are gravely concerned by the political situation in Pakistan. My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary and my noble Friend the Minister responsible for Africa, Asia and the UN, Lord Malloch-Brown, are working closely with our international partners to urge the Government of Pakistan to ensure free and fair elections by 15 January, to release all political prisoners, to lift media restrictions and to honour the commitment that President Musharraf step down as Chief of Army Staff by 15 November.
	I refer my hon. Friend to my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary's statement to the House on 7 November,  Official Report, columns 130-132.

Saudi Arabia: Official Visits

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the cost to the public purse was of the recent visit of the Head of State of Saudi Arabia.

Meg Munn: I will write to the hon. Member about Foreign and Commonwealth Office expenditure on the visit as soon as the accounts have been finalised and will place a copy of the letter in the Library of the House.

TRANSPORT

Aircraft: Air Conditioning

Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what tests are carried out on commercial aircraft to measure levels of tricresyl phosphate in cabin air.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The House of Lords Committee on Science and Technology looked into the organophosphate known as TOCP (tri-ortho cresyl phosphate) in 2000, and concluded that
	"the very low levels of TOCP that would be found even in the highly unlikely worst case of contamination from oil leaking into the air supply lead us to conclude that the concerns about significant risk to the health of airline passengers and crew are not substantiated."
	The Committee looked again at this matter during its inquiry into Aviation Health in July of this year and took evidence from aviation stakeholders and Ministers. We await its report.
	Typically cabin air is changed every two to three minutes and cockpit air every minute; so tests on cabin air need sampling equipment which can pick up transient contaminants. The Department for Transport has commissioned the testing of equipment which may be capable of capturing substances released during fume events. Subject to the results of this testing, the Department hopes to begin a study later this year or early next year.
	That study will be designed to detect any potentially harmful substances rather than focusing on named substances, as recommended by the independent Committee on Toxicity which reported on cabin air on 20 September 2007.

Aviation: Security

Graham Stringer: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when she expects Regulation (EC) No. 2320/2002 to be fully revised and implemented.

Jim Fitzpatrick: Agreement having not yet been reached between the Council and the European Parliament on the text of a regulation to replace EC2320/2002, the draft regulation will shortly enter the formal conciliation process. The outcome should be known by the end of the year.

Motor Vehicles: Glass

Brooks Newmark: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps her Department is taking to raise awareness amongst drivers of the existence of the visual light transmission standard for vehicle window tint imposed by Regulation 32 of the Road Vehicles (Construction and Use) Regulations 1986; and if she will make a statement.

Jim Fitzpatrick: Information was made available in 2003 when we consulted on amendments to the regulations covering tinted windows. A press release was issued at the time and when the new requirements took effect, from 1 January 2004, a leaflet was produced by the Vehicle and Operator Services Agency. There is information on the direct.gov website about tinted windows including a link to the VOSA leaflet which sets out the position.
	There have been no changes to the requirements since January 2004. However, as a new version of the Highway Code was produced we took the opportunity to include a reference to excessively tinted windows in the code.

Motor Vehicles: Glass

Brooks Newmark: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many drivers were subject to sanctions by the Vehicle and Operator Services Agency enforcement examiners for using vehicles which failed to meet the relevant visual light transmission standard imposed by Regulation 32 of the Road Vehicles (Construction and Use) Regulations 1986 in each of the last three years.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The Vehicle and Operator Services Agency does not collect data specifically on the number of drivers that failed to meet the relevant visual light transmission standard. However, the number of prohibitions issued for glass/glazing defects are as follows:
	
		
			   2004-05  2005-06  2006-07 
			 Private car 4,336 5,206 3,839 
			 Taxi 85 85 38 
			 Non-testable LGV 0 1 1 
			 HGV plant 0 1 0 
			 LGV 179 252 219 
			 Class 5 3 10 2 
			 LGV plant 1 1 1 
			 Motor caravan 0 2 1 
			 Ambulance 3 2 1 
			 Total 4,607 5,560 4,102

Motor Vehicles: Glass

Brooks Newmark: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether she plans to include the Visual Light Transmission standard in the MOT test.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The Department has no plans to do so.

Railway Stations: Milton Keynes

Mark Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many additional trains under the new timetable will be stopping at central Milton Keynes station once the work at the station is complete.

Tom Harris: In the draft December 2008 timetable, the number of long-distance trains calling at Milton Keynes every hour is set to increase from two to three providing passengers with direct trains to destinations such as London, Manchester and Birmingham.
	The level of services to local stations and other destinations served by the London Midland franchise (which took over from Silverlink on 11 November 2007) remains broadly as it was previously.

Railway Stations: York

Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  what steps she is taking to increase  (a) car parking capacity and  (b) platform availability at York railway station; and if she will make a statement;
	(2)  when she last considered the adequacy of  (a) car parking and  (b) platform capacity at York railway station; and if she will make a statement.

Tom Harris: These are operational matters for Network Rail, as the owner and operator of the national rail network. The right hon. Member should contact Network Rail's Chief Executive at the following address for a response to his questions.
	Iain Coucher
	Chief Executive
	Network Rail
	40 Melton Street
	London NW1 2EE

Railways: Greater London

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate her Department made of railway passenger numbers in London in the most recent period for which figures are available; and if she will make a statement.

Tom Harris: Statistics on passenger rail journeys are published by the Office of Rail Regulation in National Rail Trends. The Yearbook editions contain regional passenger journeys in and between regions. These are available in the House Library or from the ORR website:
	www.rail-reg.gov.uk.
	Statistics on the number of passengers using rail travel are based on ticket sales, rather than actual passenger numbers. The data is obtained from the ticketing database LENNON. The regional passenger figures are sourced from the Historic Rail Database, an annual compendium of LENNON.

Railways: Skipton

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans she has to re-open the railway line between Skipton and Colne; and if she will make a statement.

Tom Harris: There are no plans to re-open the railway line between Skipton and Colne.

Roads: Accidents

Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many car accidents there were in Huddersfield in each of the last five years; and how many of those accidents resulted in death.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The information requested is shown in the following table.
	
		
			  Number of reporting personal injury road accidents involving cars in the Huddersfield parliamentary constituency: 2002-06 
			   2002  2003  2004  2005  2006 
			 Accidents 421 415 375 333 324 
			  O f which:  
			 Fatal accidents 5 1 4 3 3

Roads: Accidents

Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment she has made of the relationship between the number of speeding convictions and the number of road traffic accidents in each of the last three years.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The number of speeding convictions and road traffic accidents in the last three years for which figures are available is shown in the following table.
	
		
			   Number of convictions  Number of accidents 
			 2003 2,066,000 214,030 
			 2004 2,104,000 207,410 
			 2005 2,118.900 198,735 
		
	
	No assessment has been made of the relationship between the two.
	However, extensive research published by Professor Stephen Stradling, Napier university, Edinburgh in May 2006 on behalf of the Midlands Partnership Group, found that drivers who have been detected speeding by cameras are almost twice as likely to have had a collision as those who have not, regardless of age or mileage. Three quarters of drivers reporting four or more points on their licence also reported collision involvement, compared with 42 per cent. of drivers with a clean licence.
	Furthermore, the four-year independent evaluation report of the National Safety Camera Programme, published in December 2005 and covering the period 2000 to 2004, confirms that there is an association between changes in speed and casualties. This found that there had been a reduction of 6 per cent. in average speeds, a 42 per cent. reduction in killed and serious injuries and a 22 per cent. reduction in personal injury collisions at camera sites.

Roads: Finance

Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much capital has been allocated by local authorities to new road projects in Huddersfield since 1997.

Rosie Winterton: Kirklees Metropolitan borough council is responsible for local transport in Huddersfield. Since 1997, Kirklees has not submitted any requests for funding to this Department for new local major road schemes. However, in September 2007, Ministers agreed to provide £15 million for a scheme to repair nine bridges and 3.5 km of retaining walls on the highway maintained by Kirklees metropolitan borough council.
	The following table shows the funding through the Local Transport Plan (LTP) settlement that has been allocated to Kirklees metropolitan borough council since 1997. It is for Kirklees metropolitan borough council to determine how its LTP allocation is spent, in line with the LTP for West Yorkshire and local priorities.
	
		
			   Capital highway maintenance  Integrated block  Total  Major schemes 
			 1998-99 1.374 1.418 2.792 0 
			 1999-2000 3.752 1.468 5.220 0 
			 2000-01 6.227 6.227 0 
			 2001-02 6.163 4.350 10.513 0 
			 2002-03 6.405 3.746 10.151 0 
			 2003-04 6.646 3.529 10.175 0 
			 2004-05 8.398 3.554 11.952 0 
			 2005-06 8.343 3.465 11.808 0 
			 2006-07 5.851 3.837 9.688 2.098 
			 2007-08 8.319 3.271 11.590 3.122 
			  Note: The major scheme total for 2006-07 includes expenditure incurred by the authority prior to the approval of their scheme which is to be reimbursed to the authority. The 2007-08 figure is the current forecast expenditure.

Roads: Repairs and Maintenance

John Redwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much was spent on highway maintenance and improvement in each year since 1997-98.

Rosie Winterton: Expenditure data on highways in England are provided in table 8.2 of the National Road Maintenance Condition Survey (NRMCS) report for 2006, published in May 2007 and available in the Library of the House. The figures distinguish between structural and routine maintenance rather than between maintenance and improvement.

Speed Cameras: Huddersfield

Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many speed cameras there are in the Huddersfield constituency.

Jim Fitzpatrick: This information is not held by the Department. Since 1 April 2007 the deployment of safety cameras has been the responsibility of individual local partnerships. The number of cameras in place in Huddersfield will therefore be a matter for the West Yorkshire Road safety partnership.

Taxis: Licensing

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent progress she has made on the publication of draft guidance for local licensing authorities on the impact of the repeal of private hire vehicle contract exemption.

Rosie Winterton: We are nearing completion of consideration of the views expressed by stakeholders on the draft guidance. We expect to issue the final version of the guidance later this month.

Waterloo Station

Hugo Swire: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the increased platform capacity will be for Waterloo station when Eurostar services move to St Pancras International.

Tom Harris: The Department is working closely with Network Rail and Stagecoach South West Trains (the train operating company) to finalise the design and costs associated with the use of one extra platform—platform 20—at Waterloo International by some domestic passenger services from December 2008.
	Options for the medium to long-term use of all of the platforms at Waterloo are being assessed by the Department and Network Rail as part of a wider strategy for the upgrade of the station.

DEFENCE

Afghanistan: Peacekeeping Operations

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what role ISAF forces have in securing the Afghanistan-Iran border; and if he will make a statement.

Des Browne: The role of ISAF forces is to assist the Government of Afghanistan in the maintenance of security, to facilitate the development of government structures, extend government control and assist reconstruction and humanitarian efforts. The force with primary responsibility for border security is the Afghan Border Police.

Afghanistan: Peacekeeping Operations

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what contact he has had with his Italian counterpart on the security situation on the Afghanistan-Iran border in Herat province.

Des Browne: I have regular contact with my Italian counterpart on a number of issues, including the security situation in Afghanistan, where Italy is the lead nation in Herat province.

Afghanistan: Peacekeeping Operations

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much monetary compensation was paid to service personnel who had personal belongings stolen en route to Afghanistan as referred to in the answer of 29 October 2007,  Official Report, column 940W, on Afghanistan peacekeeping operations; to whom the compensation was paid and in respect of which incidents; and what his Department's policy is on paying compensation in such circumstances.

Des Browne: All personnel are provided with clear guidance prior to deploying on operations that they should ensure property in transit is adequately insured, as liability is not routinely accepted by the Ministry of Defence and the department does not pay compensation as a matter of course. An insurance allowance is payable towards the cost of insurance.
	No compensation was paid by the MOD in relation to the loss of personal belongings in the incidents listed in my answer of 29 October 2007,  Official Report, column 940W.

Afghanistan: Peacekeeping Operations

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what definition of  (a) military equipment and  (b) military property was used in the answer of 29 October 2007,  Official Report, column 940W, on Afghanistan: peacekeeping operations.

Des Browne: Military equipment and property refer to items owned by the Ministry of Defence and issued for operational use.

Air Force: Deployment

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many RAF personnel are based in  (a) each state of the USA,  (b) Ascension Island,  (c) the Balkans,  (d) Cyprus,  (e) Diego Garcia,  (f) the Falklands and  (g) Gibraltar.

Bob Ainsworth: The strength of RAF personnel posted outside the UK is available in Table 1.1 of Tri-Service Publication (TSP) 10: UK Regular Forces Stationed Location. TSP 10 is published quarterly. The most recent publication shows figures at 1 April 2007 and can be found at:
	http://www.dasa.mod.uk/publications/tsp10/tsp10tab11.html.
	Copies of TSP 10 are available in the Library of the House and are also available at:
	www.dasa.mod.uk.
	Due to ongoing validation of data from the new Personnel Administration System, all location data is currently provisional and subject to review.
	Figures are not available separately for the individual states of the USA or Ascension Island.

Armed Forces: Deployment

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many British service personnel were stationed in  (a) Gibraltar,  (b) the Falklands,  (c) Belize,  (d) Brunei and  (e) Cyprus on 1 October 2007.

Bob Ainsworth: The strength of UK Regular Forces stationed outside the UK is available in Table 1.1 of Tri-Service Publication (TSP) 10: UK Regular Forces Stationed Location. TSP 10 is published quarterly. The most recent publication shows figures at 1 April 2007 and can be found at:
	http://www.dasa.mod.uk/publications/tsp10/tsp10tab11.html.
	Copies of TSP 10 are available in the Library of the House and are also available at:
	www.dasa.mod.uk.
	Due to ongoing validation of data from the new Personnel Administration System, all location data are currently provisional and subject to review.

Armed Forces: Gender

Jo Swinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many women are serving in HM Armed Forces in  (a) Iraq and  (b) Afghanistan.

Bob Ainsworth: Deployment figures are currently provided at aggregate levels based on manual returns which do not record the gender of personnel. The information is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Armed Forces: Gender

Jo Swinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many  (a) women and  (b) men were recruited to HM Armed Forces in each of the last five years.

Derek Twigg: The number of female and male recruits joining the armed forces in the last five years can be found in Table 3 of Tri-Service Publication (TSP) 1—Strength, Intake and Outflow of UK Regular Forces. TSP 1 is published monthly. The most recent publication shows figures for the 12 months to 1 September 2007 and can be found at http://www.dasa.mod.uk/natstats/tspl/intake.html. Copies of TSP 1 are available in the Library of the House and are also available at:
	www.dasa.mod.uk

Armed Forces: Gender

Jo Swinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what estimate he has made of the total number of women who have served, including those currently serving, in HM Armed Forces.

Derek Twigg: No estimates have been made for the total number of women to have served in HM Armed Forces.
	Figures for the number of women currently serving in the armed forces can be found in Table 1 of Tri-Service Publication (TSP) 1—Strength, Intake and Outflow of UK Regular Forces. TSP 1 is published monthly. The most recent publication shows figures for the 12 months to 1 September 2007 and can be found at http://www.dasa.mod.uk/natstats/tspl/gender.html. Copies of TSP 1 are available in the Library of the House and are also available at:
	www.dasa.mod.uk

Armed Forces: Housing

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many units of  (a) service family accommodation and  (b) single living accommodation are in each standard for condition grade.

Bob Ainsworth: Service Families Accommodation (SFA) and Single Living Accommodation (SLA) is assessed by Grade for Charge, while some SFA is also assessed by standard for Condition. Grade for Charge is an assessment of the physical condition of the accommodation and other factors such as location and closeness to amenities.
	As at 30 June 2007, our worldwide SLA stock of some 165,500 bed spaces was at the following Grade for Charge.
	
		
			   Number 
			 Grade 1 38,100 
			 Grade 2 19,000 
			 Grade 3 28,200 
			 Grade 4 80,200 
		
	
	At 1 April 2007, the worldwide SFA stock of some 71,193 properties is at the following Grade for Charge:
	
		
			   Number 
			 Grade 1 12,430 
			 Grade 2 26,447 
			 Grade 3 22,209 
			 Grade 4 8,720 
			 Below Grade 4 387 
		
	
	Of the 71,193, some 55,548 have also been assessed by Standard for Condition (SfC). These are broken down as follows:
	
		
			   Number 
			 S1fC 30,223 
			 S2fC 19,016 
			 S3fC 3,954 
			 S4fC 2,355

Armed Forces: Uniforms

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many pairs of cold weather boots will be issued to the next roulement of British service personnel in Afghanistan.

Bob Ainsworth: The next roulement of British forces in Afghanistan is due to take place in March/April 2008. Those forces can expect to face hot summer conditions rather than winter weather and we do not therefore expect them to require cold weather boots.

Army: Manpower

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the  (a) required and  (b) actual manning figure is of each infantry battalion.

Bob Ainsworth: The information requested is shown in the table. Figures are shown as at 1 March 2007, as reliable Army strength statistics to this level of detail are not yet available for 1 April 2007 onwards due to ongoing validation of Army data following the introduction of the new Personnel Administration System.
	
		
			  Infantry Battalion Strength of the Regular Army and Full Time Reserve Service (FTRS) by Battalion, as at 1 March 2007 
			  Battalion  Strength( 1)  Requirement 
			  Footguards 2,520 2,920 
			 1 Grenadier Guards 530 570 
			 1 Coldstream Guards 550 570 
			 1 Scots Guards 460 640 
			 1 Irish Guards 480 570 
			 1 Welsh Guards 500 570 
			  Scots Div (1)2,740 2,930 
			 1 Royal Regiment of Scotland (1)620 570 
			 2 Royal Regiment of Scotland (1)480 570 
			 3 Royal Regiment of Scotland (1)550 570 
			 4 Royal Regiment of Scotland (1)580 640 
			 5 Royal Regiment of Scotland (1)500 590 
			
			  Queens Div 3,230 3,560 
			 1 Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment 530 640 
			 2 Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment 520 570 
			 1 Royal Regiment of Fusiliers 540 640 
			 2 Royal Regiment of Fusiliers 500 570 
			 1 Royal Anglian Regiment 610 600 
			 2 Royal Anglian Regiment 530 560 
			
			  Kings Div (1)2,790 2,960 
			 1 Yorkshire Regiment (1)530 570 
			 2 Yorkshire Regiment (1)450 570 
			 3 Yorkshire Regiment (1)480 610 
			 1 Duke of Lancaster's Regiment (1)670 600 
			 2 Duke of Lancaster's Regiment (1)650 620 
			
			  Prince of Wales Div 2,330 2,970 
			 1 Royal Welsh Regiment 450 570 
			 2 Royal Welsh Regiment 500 640 
			 1 Staffordshire Regiment 470 640 
			 1 Cheshire 440 570 
			 1 Worcestershire and Sherwood Foresters Regiment 480 560 
			
			  RIFLES (1)3,040 2,940 
			 1 RIFLES (1)610 570 
			 2 RIFLES (1)570 570 
			 3 RIFLES (1)570 570 
			 4 RIFLES (1)640 600 
			 5 RIFLES (1)660 640 
			
			  R Irish 450 590 
			 1 Royal Irish Regiment 450 590 
			
			  Para 1,490 1,760 
			 Special Forces Support Group (SFSG) (1)490 580 
			 2 Parachute Regiment 490 590 
			 3 Parachute Regiment 510 590 
			
			 Total (1)18,620 20,630 
			 (1) Provisional, as some records are currently being updated to reflect recent and planned divisional and regimental Infantry changes.   Notes:  1. The establishment figures refer to the number of posts within a battalion that may be filled by Infantry personnel (officers and soldiers). Therefore, it excludes posts that are filled by attached personnel of other Arms and Services such as chefs, clerks, etc. Establishments will also vary depending on the particular role of a battalion; for example, Armoured Infantry battalions have larger establishments than light role Infantry battalions.  2. The Special Forces Support Group (SFSG) was established on 3 April 2006 to provide high end infantry in direct support of UKSF on operations. The Unit is located in St. Athan, near Cardiff, in Wales. It is based upon the 1st Battalion The Parachute Regiment (1 PARA) and draws manpower from all three services, including a Strike Company from the Royal Marines (RM), a Strike Platoon from the Royal Air Force (RAF) Regiment and a detachment of RAF Regiment Forward Air Control and Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear (CBRN) Specialists. The above contains only the Army element of the SFSG.  3. Strength figures include members of the Regiment serving with the battalion only i.e. 2 Parachute Regiment (2 PARA) posted to 2 PARA, it does not include other Infantry serving with the 2 PARA or PARA personnel posted away from the regiment. Strength figures also exclude attached Arm/services.  4. The Guards Division strengths and establishments exclude the Public Duty Companies e.g. Nijmegan Coys.  5. Figures are for trained Infantry Officers and Soldiers and include Infantry Full Time Reserve Service (FTRS) personnel serving with the battalions.  6. Royal Gurkha Regiment figures are for the Regular Army Officers (UK Personnel) only and do not include the Gurkhas.  7. Strength and Establishment figures have been rounded to the nearest 10. Totals are rounded separately and therefore may not equal the sum of their parts.

Chad: EC Defence Policy

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  how many RAF  (a) C-17 Globemaster,  (b) C-130K Hercules,  (c) C-130J Hercules,  (d) Tristar and  (e) VC-10 aircraft will be used in the forthcoming EU Mission to Chad and the Central African Republic;
	(2)  how many British service personnel of each  (a) branch of service,  (b) unit and  (c) rank will take part in the EU mission to Chad and the Central African Republic;
	(3)  what contact he has had with his counterparts in  (a) Chad,  (b) the Central African Republic and  (c) Sudan on the EU mission to Chad and the Central African Republic; and if he will make a statement;
	(4)  how many British military personnel are  (a) based and  (b) expected to be based in Mont Valerien, France in support of the EU military mission to Chad and the Central African Republic.

Bob Ainsworth: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Defence has not met any of his counterparts in Chad, the Central African Republic (CAR) or Sudan to discuss the forthcoming ESDP mission to Chad/CAR. However, the issues relating to force generation and funding for this mission were discussed at the recent EU Defence Ministers informal meeting in Portugal which he attended. He emphasised that the UK supported the mission as an important contribution to regional stability and a resolution of the Darfur crisis, but made it clear that the role of the UK armed forces would be very limited given the extent of our commitments elsewhere.
	There are no plans for RAF aircraft to be used in the mission, and the British personnel to be involved will be four staff officers provided under the standing EU headquarters augmentation procedures. Under these arrangements, each EU member state undertakes to provide specified numbers of personnel to augment the nominated operational headquarters and force headquarters for an EU mission once these have been activated.
	For the Chad/CAR mission, the UK will contribute a Commander (Royal Navy) and a Lieutenant Commander (Royal Navy) who have already deployed to the French operation HQ at Mont Valerien in Paris, and a Commander (Royal Navy) and a Squadron Leader (Royal Air Force) who will deploy with the French force headquarters to Chad/CAR. The parent unit for all four staff officers is the permanent joint headquarters based at Northwood.

Chad: EC Defence Policy

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which EU member states are contributing to the EU military mission to Chad and the Central African Republic; and what each is contributing.

Bob Ainsworth: All discussions on force contributions for the EU military mission to Chad and the Central African Republic up to this point have been indicative. The formal force generation conferences will take place on 9 and 14 November.
	I will write to the hon. Member with more detail once these conferences have been completed.

Defence: Training

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the estimated cost is of Package 1 of the Defence Training Review Rationalisation Programme.

Bob Ainsworth: The through-life cost for Package 1 of the Defence Training Review Rationalisation Programme is anticipated to be £11 billion. This figure takes account of inflation over 30 years including its effect on manpower costs, construction and maintenance charges.

Departmental Staff

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many Welsh speakers his Department employs.

Bob Ainsworth: The Ministry of Defence employs 171 people who have declared themselves as Welsh speakers. The declaration is voluntary, so there may be members of staff who do speak Welsh but have not declared themselves as Welsh speakers.

Servicemen and Ex-servicemen: Suicide

Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many  (a) active and  (b) discharged military personnel have committed suicide following return from operational deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan.

Bob Ainsworth: The Ministry of Defence has centrally compiled and verified records of coroner-confirmed suicides or open verdict deaths among UK regular Service personnel up to 31 December 2006.
	There have been 17 confirmed suicide or open verdict deaths among UK regular armed forces personnel following deployments to Operation TELIC and Operation HERRICK. Fifteen of those verdicts were Service personnel who had deployed to Operation TELIC, one had been deployed to Operation HERRICK and one had deployed to both operations.
	The figures provided do not include any violent or unnatural deaths that have not yet been fully investigated by the coroner.
	Information on suicides and open verdict deaths that may have occurred to Service personnel after discharge from the Services is not currently available.

Hydrographic Office

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many private sector stakeholders the team carrying out the review into the UK Hydrographic Office's structure and ownership have met during the course of their work.

Bob Ainsworth: The study team and its consultants have met with a range of stakeholders, including two trade associations representing private sector companies, and 14 other private sector industry participants. These include Original Equipment Manufacturers of ECDIS (Electronic Chart Display and Information Systems), distributors of navigational products, shipping fleet operators, UKHO survey data re-users and finance specialists.
	The review was also informed by a range of other information derived from the private sector. These include the UKHO's own quarterly surveys of 250 end users of the UKHO's products, papers from international conferences and fora, and published market analyses.

Iraq: Peacekeeping Operations

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many humanitarian airdrops have been conducted by the Royal Air Force in  (a) Iraq and  (b) Afghanistan in each year since 2001.

Bob Ainsworth: UK forces routinely use air-drops in order to resupply deployed troops in both Iraq and Afghanistan. But centrally-held records show that the Royal Air Force has not carried out any airdrops specifically for humanitarian purposes in the period from 2001 to date in either Iraq or Afghanistan.

Service Personnel and Veterans Agency: Complaints

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many complaints have been made to the Service Personnel and Veterans Agency and its predecessors on veterans' matters since 2001.

Bob Ainsworth: The Veterans Agency and the Armed Forces Personnel Administration Agency merged on 1 April 2007.
	From September 2001, when records were first kept, to date, the Veterans Agency and the Veterans Agency element of the Service Personnel and Veterans Agency have received a total of 2,114 complaints on veterans' matters.
	The information requested, on veterans' matters complaints, for the former Armed Forces Personnel and Administration Agency and those elements (Armed Forces Pension Scheme and medals administration) that transferred into the Service Personnel and Veterans Agency are not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Slovenia: EC Presidency

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what contacts he has had with his Slovenian counterpart on Slovenia's EU presidency in the first half of 2008; and if he will make a statement.

Des Browne: I meet the Slovenian Defence Minister regularly when attending EU and NATO ministerial meetings. I discussed the forthcoming Slovenian EU presidency with him in the margins of a NATO meeting last year.

Submarines: Decommissioning

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the  (a) age and  (b) proposed date of decommissioning is of each of the Trafalgar Class submarines.

Des Browne: The current age and the planned out of service dates, which are kept under regular review, for each of the Trafalgar Class submarines are as follows:
	
		
			  Vessel  Age  Out of service date 
			 HMS Trafalgar 24 2009 
			 HMS Turbulent 23 2011 
			 HMS Tireless 22 2013 
			 HMS Torbay 20 2015 
			 HMS Trenchant 18 2017 
			 HMS Talent 17 2019 
			 HMS Triumph 16 2022

INNOVATION, UNIVERSITIES AND SKILLS

Apprentices: Finance

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills whether access to the skills account for advanced apprentices announced in his speech of 31 October 2007 will be means-tested.

David Lammy: Skills Accounts will not be means tested. Skills Accounts aim to give individuals, in or out of work, more ownership, purchasing power and choice over their training, helping them progress in their careers and in sustainable employment. Skills Account holders will have better information and access to key services, such as the new universal careers service. They will also be able to see the costs and value of training and find out about financial support, entitlements and learning options available to them, including Apprenticeships. They will be trialled nationally in England in 2009-10.

Apprentices: Peterborough

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills how many apprenticeship schemes are operating in the Peterborough city council area; and if he will make a statement.

David Lammy: Figures for those participating in apprenticeships can be derived from the Learning and Skills Council's (LSC) Individualised Learner Record (ILR). There were 780 learners on apprenticeships and 390 on advanced apprenticeships in Peterborough local authority (based on home post code of the learner) in 2005/06.
	Apprenticeships are highly valued by this Government, which supports their continuing improvement and expansion. Apprenticeships give young people a chance to earn while they learn, get excellent vocational training and build a sustainable career. Employers are helped to build a professional skilled workforce, equipped with the knowledge and experience that their business needs to compete and stay ahead in today's global economy.
	 Source:
	Learning and Skills Council (LSC) Work Based Learning (WBL) Individualised Learner Record (ILR)
	Numbers have been rounded to the nearest 10

Intellectual Property: India

Gordon Banks: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what the  (a) timetable and  (b) content is of the bilateral action plan agreed with the Indian intellectual property rights authorities, as referred to in the answer of 5 July 2007,  Official Report, column 1163W, on intellectual property: India.

Ian Pearson: The information is as follows:
	 (a) It is still not clear what the timetable for implementing the bilateral action plan will be. However, there will be further talks with India in this matter next month, as part of the Economic Trade Committee discussion. We are keen that we move forward on this as soon as we can.
	 (b) The action will focus on the following areas:
	Training and management of Patent and Trademark officials
	Developing the Patent and Trademark Attorney profession
	Sharing experiences and best practice on the investigation of IP infringements and their resolution
	Strengthening of training facilities
	Increasing the awareness and understanding of IP by industry.

Religion: Finance

Paul Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what funds were paid to which  (a) Jewish,  (b) Muslim and  (c) Christian seminaries by his Department and its predecessors in each year since 2001.

David Lammy: The Department of Innovation, Universities and Skills has not paid any funds to Jewish, Muslim or Christian seminaries in any year from 2001.

Vocational Training

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what proportion of the additional support budget of the Train to Gain programme was spent in each English region by the Learning and Skills Council in 2006-07.

David Lammy: Additional learner support is financial support that is available to help individuals to access or complete their education in situations where a lack of money may otherwise restrict them. The funding is for learners from families on benefits or low incomes, or suffering from exceptional financial hardship. Additional learner support can help cover childcare costs, accommodation, or general costs such as textbooks and equipment.
	Most learning provision on Train to Gain is delivered in the workplace so it is very unusual for learners participating in Train to Gain to need to apply for support. The Additional Learner Support spent by the Learning and Skills Council in 2006-07 on learners on Train to Gain funded programme of learning was only £1,729 (£150 in the North East and £1,579 in the North West).

HEALTH

Cancer: Waiting Lists

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proportion of the £75 million earmarked for reducing cancer waiting times and providing a named midwife for all pregnant women over the period of the Comprehensive Spending Review, as set out in the Department of Health press release dated 9 October 2007, will be spent on each of these two priorities; how much is proposed to be spent over each year of the Comprehensive Spending Review; and if he will make a statement.

Ben Bradshaw: The £75 million announced in the press release relates only to the cost of reducing cancer waiting times over the spending review period. The figure is the Department's estimate of the cost to the national health service (NHS) of delivering improvements. The great majority of NHS funding is allocated to primary care trusts, who will decide spending in each area of health care in the light of both national and local priorities. The exact spend on reducing cancer waiting times in each year of the spending review period will therefore be determined locally by the NHS, and is not prescribed by the Department.

Departmental Contracts

Frank Dobson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether any applicant company for a contract with the NHS or his Department has been excluded because of convictions for a criminal offence or cases of gross professional misconduct since 2004.

Ben Bradshaw: The Department does not collect information on whether applicant companies are excluded from contacts with the NHS or the Department because they have been convicted of a criminal offence or gross professional misconduct in the format requested. To do so would attract disproportionate cost.
	In purchasing goods and services for the national health service, the Department is subject to all European Union (EU) public procurement regulations. The rules compel the Department to advertise and award any proposed contract in accordance with the legal procedure set out in the regulations. This ensures that the process is fair, transparent and non-discriminatory.
	As part of central procurement exercises run by the Department or NHS Purchasing and Supply Agency on behalf of the NHS, bidders are requested to confirm at an early stage whether there are any factors which would exclude them under the EU criteria (grave misconduct, criminal offences etc.). Under EU procurement guidelines, bodies are permitted to exclude a company that has been convicted of a criminal offence or grave professional misconduct in relation to the conduct of their business.

Health Professions: Regulation

David Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what discussions he  (a) has had and  (b) plans to have with the Healthcare Commission on the provisions to regulate health professionals to be contained in the forthcoming Health and Social Care Bill; and if he will make a statement.

Ben Bradshaw: The provisions within the forthcoming Health and Social Care Bill concerning the regulation of health professions and health and social care workforce do not effect the Healthcare Commission directly. The Department has, in its development of proposals for the wider implementation of the White Paper, "Trust, Assurance and Safety—The Regulation of Health Professionals in the 21st Century", consulted a wide variety of stakeholders, including the Healthcare Commission, and continues to do so.

Health Services: Reciprocal Arrangements

Gary Streeter: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  if he will negotiate a reciprocal agreement with the French government to enable retired British citizens living in France to access French healthcare without private medical insurance;
	(2)  what estimate he has made of the number of British citizens living in France who will be affected by the French Government's decision to change healthcare law;
	(3)  what advice he has received on the legality under EU law of the French government's decision to change its rules regarding access to healthcare for British Citizens.

Dawn Primarolo: The position of British citizens living in France who are covered by European Union reciprocal agreements has not changed and they will still receive state provided healthcare in France. This means that retired people in receipt of United Kingdom state pension are still able to access state healthcare in France.
	The changes to the French system affect early retirees from other member states including the UK who are not covered by EU regulations and have not lived in France long enough to meet their residency requirements. It is not known how many people are affected.
	Health and social security systems differ in each member state. Who and what is covered is a matter for each individual state in this instance France. There are no plans to negotiate an agreement with France that goes beyond existing ones. It is critical that people consider how they will access healthcare when they move abroad.

NHS: Expenditure

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much was spent on  (a) NHS hospital and community health services,  (b) NHS maternity services and  (c) other NHS costs in 2006-07.

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much was spent on  (a) the NHS,  (b) NHS hospital and community health services and  (c) NHS maternity services in the 2006-07 financial year as referred to in the answer of 25 June 2007,  Official Report, column 266W, on NHS: finance.

Ben Bradshaw: Expenditure for 2006-07 (England) is shown in the following table:
	
		
			   Expenditure (£ million) 
			 National health service 80,884 
			 NHS hospital and community health services (HCHS) 46,853 
			 NHS maternity services 1,617 
			  Notes:  1. NHS expenditure is the total NHS net revenue expenditure.  2. HCHS maternity services are derived from data in the summarised accounts which relates to community or secondary health care and this includes the purchase of health care from non-NHS providers.  3. The maternity services expenditure shown is included within the HCHS figure, which is already included under the total net NHS revenue expenditure.

Orphan Drugs: EC Law

Mark Simmonds: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how Regulation (EC) 141/2000 on orphan medicinal products is being implemented; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: Regulation (EC) number 141/2000 of the European Parliament on orphan medicinal products has been fully implemented. The Orphan Drug Register is managed by the European Medicines Evaluation Agency (EMEA). Information regarding Orphan Drugs is available on the website of the EMEA
	www.emea.eu.int
	The findings from research into the effectiveness of regulations on the development and licensing of orphan medicines are presented in the Committee for Orphan Medicinal Products (COMP) Report to the European Commission in Relation to Article 10 of Regulation 141/2000 in Orphan Medicinal Products. This report is published on the website of the EMEA at:
	www.emea.eu.int/htms/human/comp/compgen.htm
	It includes an assessment of access to these medicines for patients in the different member states, including the United Kingdom.
	A copy of the "COMP Report to the Commission in Relation to Article 10 of Regulation 141/2000 in Orphan Medicinal Products" has been placed in the Library.

West Midlands Ambulance Service NHS Trust: Reform

Michael Spicer: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will direct the West Midlands Ambulance Service NHS Trust to give weight to the petition organised by the Worcester News on service restructuring commensurate with the 2,092 signatures gathered; and if he will make a statement.

Ben Bradshaw: This is a matter for the West Midlands Ambulance Service NHS Trust as the consultation on proposed charges to Emergency Operations Centres was locally led. Therefore, the West Midlands Ambulance Service would be in the best position to provide more details about the arrangements in place in this area.
	The Department of Health is clear that arrangements for where ambulance service control rooms are situated, and how calls into the control rooms are received, are a matter for the individual ambulance services themselves.

BUSINESS, ENTERPRISE AND REGULATORY REFORM

Buildings: Carbon Emissions

Ian Gibson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what discussions his Department has had with the Department for Communities and Local Government on the proposal in the Energy White Paper to increase the proportion of heat generated through less carbon-intensive technologies; and how this proposal will be implemented via the building regulations.

Malcolm Wicks: The Energy White Paper is the result of detailed collaboration between all Departments of State, including the Department for Communities and Local Government. In it we said that we will conduct further work into the policy options available to reduce the carbon impact of heat and its use. This work is being led by the Office for Climate Change and officials from my Department and CLG are engaged in the work.
	The Government have signalled the intention to further amend the Building Regulations energy efficiency requirements in 2010, 2013 and 2016. The aim will be to set higher standards that are practical and achieve the Government's targets while maintaining sufficient design flexibility enabling cost-effective compliance without unacceptable technical risks. This approach will take into account lower carbon heating.
	In the normal way there will be public consultations before any changes are actually made.

Departmental Publicity

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what the cost has been of re-branding his Department following the change in name from the Department of Trade and Industry.

Gareth Thomas: Costs to date associated with the use of the name of the new Department are approximately £192,000. These include the costs of design, items such as new signage and changes to the website and other electronic media. As promised in my answer to a question from the hon. Member for Richmond Park (Susan Kramer) on 17 July,  Official Report, column 278W, we plan to provide a full account of extra expenditure relating to the establishment to the library of both Houses at the time of the Winter Supplementary Estimates in November.

Exports: Siera Leone

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what value of British goods were exported to Sierra Leone in  (a) 2002 and  (b) each subsequent year.

Gareth Thomas: HMRC overseas trade statistics give the following figures:
	
		
			   £ million 
			   UK exports of goods to Sierra Leone 
			 2002 32.0 
			 2003 32.4 
			 2004 24.0 
			 2005 26.1 
			 2006 18.6

Fireworks: Standards

Patrick Mercer: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what restrictions there are on firework manufacturers and importers to limit the height at which fireworks can fly to 1,500 feet.

Gareth Thomas: All consumer fireworks sold in UK must comply with British Standard 7114. The technical specifications in this standard limit the height at which the firework bursts. Consumer fireworks typically burst in the air at between 250-300 feet considerably less than the maximum indicated by the Civil Aviation Authority in their guidance.

Furniture and Furnishings (Fire) (Safety) Regulations 1988

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the Furniture and Furnishings (Fire) (Safety) Regulations 1988; and whether he plans to increase public awareness of the statutory requirement that furniture and furnishings must meet the standards of the Furniture and Furnishings (Fire) (Safety) Regulations 1988.

Gareth Thomas: The Department of Trade and Industry commissioned the University of Surrey to research the effectiveness of the Furniture and Furnishings (Fire) (Safety) Regulations 1988. The resulting report—'Effectiveness of the Furniture and Furnishings (Fire) (Safety) Regulations 1988'—was published in June 2000 and copies were placed in the Libraries of both Houses. The report's findings were very positive: at a conservative estimate, the Regulations had saved at least 710 lives (1,860 when additional factors are taken into consideration) and prevented at least 5,770 injuries from 1988 to 1997. Recent figures from the Department for Communities and Local Government show that the downward trend in deaths and injuries has continued. I am currently considering whether further public awareness of the requirements of the Regulations is necessary at this stage.

Imports: Sierra Leone

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what value of goods was imported from Sierra Leone into the UK in each year since 2002.

Gareth Thomas: HMRC overseas trade statistics give the following figures:
	
		
			   £ million 
			   UK imports of goods from Sierra Leone 
			 2002 2.7 
			 2003 4.2 
			 2004 2.1 
			 2005 1.2 
			 2006 4.4

Manufacturing Industries

Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what estimate he has made of how many employees in the manufacturing industry working in England reside in Wales.

Stephen Timms: No such assessment has been made. The Office for National Statistics does not hold these figures.

Members: Correspondence

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform when he expects to reply to the letter of 16 July 2007 from the hon. Member for Forest of Dean to the right hon. Member for Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath on the review of nuclear energy use.

Malcolm Wicks: I responded to the hon. Member in October. A copy of my reply has been faxed to the hon. Member's parliamentary office.

Mining: Compensation

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how many miners' compensation claims he expects to be resolved with the implementation of the UK coal dust calculator in  (a) England,  (b) West Yorkshire and  (c) Hemsworth constituency.

Malcolm Wicks: The number of former miners' coal health claims that are expected to be resolved with the implementation of the UK coal dust calculator for England, West Yorkshire and Hemsworth constituency as at 4 November 2007 is shown in the following table:
	
		
			  Region  Outstanding claims 
			 England 2,863 
			 West Yorkshire 545 
			 Hemsworth 179 
		
	
	The outstanding claims are those that have not yet been settled by payment, denial, withdrawal or strike out.
	West Yorkshire is defined using the following constituencies:
	Batley And Spen Boro, Bradford North Boro, Bradford South Boro, Bradford West Boro, Calder Valley, Colne Valley, Dewsbury, Elmet, Halifax Boro, Hemsworth, Huddersfield Boro, Keighley, Leeds Central Boro, Leeds East Boro, Leeds North East Boro, Leeds North West Boro, Leeds West Boro, Morley And Rothwell Boro, Normanton, Pontefract And Castleford, Pudsey Boro, Shipley & Wakefield.
	We are unable to breakdown UDM claims by region, but these are captured within the total figure for England. The UDM claims amount to 615 in total.

North West Development Agency: Finance

Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what the budget is for the North West Development Agency in financial years  (a) 2007-08,  (b) 2008-09,  (c) 2009-10 and  (d) 2010-11.

Stephen Timms: The North West Development Agency's allocated budget for 2007-08, together with their indicative budgets for 2008-09 to 2010-11, are given in the table.
	
		
			   £000 
			  (a) 2007-08 395,003 
			  (b) 2008-09 391,611 
			  (c) 2009-10 386,442 
			  (d) 2010-11 377,371

Packaging

Peter Luff: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform 
	(1)  for what reasons the provisions permitting companies to take private action through the courts against competitors who make use of misleading packaging were not included in the legislation transposing the Unfair Commercial Practices Directive into UK law;
	(2)  what assessment he has made of the ability of UK manufacturers to prevent competitors from misrepresenting their products through the use of misleading and copycat packaging under the provisions of the Unfair Commercial Practices Directive.

Gareth Thomas: In their response to the December 2005 consultation on implementation of the Unfair Commercial Practices Directive (UCPD) the Government said they did not propose to allow businesses to take enforcement action for breaches of this directive. This is because they believed that existing arrangements are adequate for dealing with cases that result in real consumer detriment.
	A number of responses to the May 2007 consultation on draft Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations, which will implement the Directive, asked the Government to reconsider their decision not to allow businesses with a legitimate interest to take civil (injunctive) action to enforce the provisions on copycat packaging. We are carefully considering all the responses received before coming to a final decision on how the regulations should best be enforced in the interests of consumers. The Government intend to publish their response to the May 2007 consultation later this month.

Postal Services: Rural Areas

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what assessment he has made of the effects on rural areas of ending postal collections on Sundays.

Patrick McFadden: This is an operational matter for Royal Mail. The company introduced Sunday collections a few years ago to enhance their service, but there has been very little take-up from the public. Sunday postings are very low, but add a huge amount of cost to the business. Royal Mail have to have regard to their costs and are therefore looking to stop Sunday collections.
	The Government consider the maintenance of a universal postal service throughout the UK to be of the highest importance. That is why the obligation is enshrined in primary legislation in the Postal Services Act 2000 and why Postcomm has the primary statutory duty to ensure the provision of a universal postal service at an affordable uniform tariff. Sunday and Bank Holiday collections are not part of the universal service obligation.

Power Stations: Combined Heat and Power

Jennifer Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what consideration the Government have given to the merits of adding combined heat and power to  (a) Port Talbot,  (b) Uskmouth and  (c) New Pembroke power stations; what estimate he has made of the potential annual savings in terms of (i) primary energy input and (ii) carbon emission; and if he will make a statement.

Malcolm Wicks: Applicants for new power station must demonstrate that they have considered the viability, in terms of possible heat users in the vicinity of their proposal, of the station being described as combined heat and power. My Department issued guidance on what is required on this and this is available at:
	www.berr.gov.uk/files35728.pdf
	The Department does not have the specific information requested on annual savings for individual purposes. However an analysis has recently been carried out to assess the potential for CHP for high temperature industries, such as large utility plants. This analysis is available at:
	www.defra.gov.uk/environment/climatechange/uk/energy/chp/pdf/potential-report.pdf

Severn Barrage

Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform whether his appraisal of the feasibility of a Severn Barrage will include an appraisal of alternative methods of harnessing the tidal power of the River Severn; and if he will make a statement.

Malcolm Wicks: The detailed remit for the feasibility study is now being scoped. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State will make a statement on this point in due course.

Sports: Clubs

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform whether sports clubs whose members pay for their membership by instalments are required to hold consumer credit licences; and if he will make a statement.

Gareth Thomas: The Consumer Credit Act 1974 requires that most businesses that offer goods or services on credit hold a consumer credit licence. Golf clubs and other private sports clubs which allow for payment of annual membership fees in more than four instalments may need a consumer credit licence. However, whether or not a licence is required will be dependent on the individual circumstances applicable to the operation of each individual club such as whether or not the club is classified as 'carrying on a business', if so whether this would be classified as 'occasional business' and whether the particular club's agreements might be subject to any exemptions.
	Given that unlicensed trading is a criminal offence, the Office of Fair Trading advice has been for clubs to apply for a consumer credit licence if they are in any doubt.
	Agreements between clubs and their members may involve substantial loans and as such are as appropriately subject to regulation under the Consumer Credit Act as other types of agreements where credit is provided.

DUCHY OF LANCASTER

Policy Review

Graham Allen: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster when he expects to begin the next Policy Review programme.

Edward Miliband: The Government review their policies on an ongoing basis and will continue to address the key strategic challenges facing the country, consulting with the public and stakeholders as we move forward.

LEADER OF THE HOUSE

Leader of the Opposition: Travel

Norman Baker: To ask the Leader of the House whether funds are provided from the public purse for travel by  (a) rail and  (b) air by the Leader of the Opposition in his capacity as such.

Harriet Harman: Financial assistance to opposition parties, known as Short Money, is governed by the resolution of the House of Commons of 26 May 1999, in which the purpose of the payments is described as being
	"to assist an opposition party in carrying out its parliamentary business."
	The resolution provides specifically for funds to opposition parties for travelling and associated expenses necessarily incurred by party spokesmen in relation to the party's parliamentary business. In addition, assistance is available for costs necessarily incurred in running the office of the Leader of the Opposition.
	There are no restrictions or rules on the mode of travel that can be used in carrying out parliamentary business.

Legislative Process

Simon Hughes: To ask the Leader of the House when she will publish a summary of consultation responses to the draft legislative programme.

Harriet Harman: The Government's Draft Legislative Programme—Taking a Wider View will be published shortly. I will ensure the hon. Gentleman receives a copy.

OLYMPICS

Departmental Expenditure

David Simpson: To ask the Minister for the Olympics how much has been spent by her Office on official hospitality since its establishment.

Tessa Jowell: Details of any expenditure in 2007-08 will be available when the Department's resource accounts are fully audited and laid before Parliament.

Olympic Games 2012: Finance

Hugh Robertson: To ask the Minister for the Olympics whether any of the £2.7 billion contingency fund announced as part of the Olympic budget in March 2007 is drawn from the National Lottery.

Tessa Jowell: Contingency funding will only be called upon where it is absolutely necessary, as agreed by the ministerial funders' group. Any draw-down of contingency will include a proportionate contribution of funds from each of the contributors.
	The lottery's contribution to the contingency is a matter for the Olympic Lottery Distributor. They have indicated their intention that around 20 per cent. of the £2.747 billion contingency could be met from lottery funds included in the £9.325 billion funding package, announced on 15 March 2007.

Olympic Games 2012: Finance

Hugh Robertson: To ask the Minister for the Olympics what the forecast of  (a) VAT,  (b) contingency and  (c) legacy transportation costs of the main Olympic stadium will be, with reference to the answer of 22 October 2007,  Official Report, column 48W, on Olympic Games: Greater London.

Tessa Jowell: The cost of the main Olympic stadium is £496 million inclusive of VAT, allowance for inflation, some site works, and legacy conversion. No further breakdown can be provided at this point as this information is commercially confidential.

Olympic Games 2012: Finance

Hugh Robertson: To ask the Minister for the Olympics with reference to the answer of 18 April 2007,  Official Report, columns 638-39W, on London Olympics (Ref 129383 and 129384), if she will provide a more detailed breakdown of the planned expenditure on the Olympic Park and infrastructure and regeneration.

Tessa Jowell: I will do so early in the new year.

CHILDREN, SCHOOLS AND FAMILIES

Literacy Standards

Michael Jack: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families if he will make a statement on literacy standards in primary schools.

Jim Knight: Standards of literacy in our primary schools are at their highest levels ever. 80 per cent. of 11-year-olds are now reaching the target level in English, compared to 63 per cent. in 1997. This means that around 100,000 more pupils a year are reaching the expected standard for their age.
	The renewed primary literacy strategy, with a stronger emphasis on phonics, Every Child a Reader and Every Child a Writer to help those pupils who are struggling will help to ensure that we maintain and extend the improvements we have already achieved.

Educational Standards

Shailesh Vara: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what steps his Department is taking to raise standards in primary schools.

Jim Knight: Since 1997, we've doubled funding per pupil in real terms. We have put over 200,000 more adults in classrooms. Results are rising. At key stage 2, attainment in all subjects is at the highest levels and we have narrowed the gap between boys and girls. Early signs are that we have achieved our primary schools floor target a year early. We aim to deliver a world-class education system.
	Personalised learning, the national strategies, the new emphasis on progression, every child a reader, every child a writer, every child counts and continued investment will continue to transform standards in primary schools.

Foreign Languages

Julie Kirkbride: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many pupils took at least one  (a) GCSE and  (b) A-level in a modern language in the last five years; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: Between 2003 and 2006 the number of A Level entries in French, German and Spanish decreased slightly, from 23,476 to 22,926. The number Increased to 23,306 in 2007.
	Between 2003 and 2007 the number of GCSE entries in modern foreign languages decreased from 453,900 to 301,400.

Foreign Languages

Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many primary schools in England teach a modern foreign language.

Jim Knight: Research carried out in 2006 found that 70 per cent. of primary schools are teaching languages. This is up from 44 per cent. in 2003.

Children's Homes: Missing Children

Peter Bone: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many children went missing from children's homes in each of the last three years.

Beverley Hughes: During 2005, 290 children went missing from their children's home on one occasion or more. The figure for 2006 was the same, and in 2007, it was 300. This figure excludes children receiving short-term respite care. The Government recognise how significant these episodes are for the children involved, and issued statutory guidance to local authorities to specify the arrangements they must make to reduce the risk of children running away, and to deal with it appropriately when it happens.
	The 'Care Matters: Time for Change' White Paper reiterated our commitment to:
	Share effective practice on managing such incidents via the current round of the Beacon Council Scheme, which includes children in care as a theme;
	Ensure through the effective implementation of the integrated children's system that effective contingency arrangements are prompted as part of the care planning process for those children with a history of running away;
	Ensure that the revised national minimum standards put the right emphasis on the need to reduce the risk of children going missing and the necessity for all children's homes to follow local police procedures for reporting and managing incidents;
	Reflect the issue in updated statutory guidance, the proposed annual stocktake, and inspection arrangements.
	Work across Government to ensure that the specific needs of unaccompanied asylum seeking children who go missing from care are reflected. Joint DCSF and Home Office guidance on safeguarding children who may have been trafficked is being finalised and will be issued shortly.

Capital Expenditure: York

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what the average annual capital expenditure was in respect of York schools since 1997-98; and how much was spent in 1996-97.

Jim Knight: The Department does not maintain local authority records on an expenditure basis, as the timing and amount of expenditure is determined by each local authority. The average annual capital allocation by the Department to York schools for the 11 year period 1997-98 to 2007-08 is £9.83 million. The allocation in 1996-97 was £0.83 million.

Education Leaving Age

Desmond Swayne: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families if he will make a statement on the Government's proposals that all young people should remain in education or training until the age of 18.

Edward Balls: We announced last week our intention to legislate to raise the participation age, so that all young people continue in education or training until 18 from 2015. The legislation builds on the Green Paper published in March and the booklet 'Raising Expectations' published on Monday.
	We believe that this will give our young people the best chance to achieve and succeed, leading to improved life chances, and allow our economy to continue to compete internationally.

Basic Needs Allocation

Mark Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families whether he intends to review the formula for the basic needs allocation; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: I had a discussion on this issue with the hon. Member and with my hon. Friend the Member for Milton Keynes, South-West (Dr. Starkey), on Wednesday 7 November. I explained that it was not practicable to change the basic needs formula , as such a change would have a knock-on effect on allocations to all other authorities. I also said that I would ask my officials, working with Milton Keynes' officials, to review the position of that authority and to report back to me.

Creative Partnerships Programme

Fiona Mactaggart: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what assessment he has made of the impact of the Creative Partnerships Programme on schools.

Jim Knight: There have been four independent evaluations of the Creative Partnerships programme. These were considered by the Education and Skills Select Committee, of which my hon. Friend was a member, in preparing their report on Creative Partnerships and the Curriculum. We are currently considering options for the future of the programme beyond 2008 and the Committee's recommendations will help us to develop our thinking. A formal response to the report will be made in due course.

Special Educational Needs

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families when he will respond to the Education and Skills Committee Report on Special Educational Needs: Assessment and Funding.

Kevin Brennan: We will be responding to the Committee's report in due course.

Parents

Ann Cryer: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what plans he has to improve the provision of advice, information and support to parents with particular reference to material in languages other than English.

Kevin Brennan: Access to information empowers parents. Local authorities already provide information on child care to parents and the Childcare Act 2006 extends the requirement to a wider range of information from April 2008. Authorities decide how and in what languages to provide information but we expect them to meet the needs of local parents. We are investing £34 million in our new Parent Know How information service which will begin operating from April 2008.

Foetal Alcohol Syndrome

Lynda Waltho: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what steps he is taking to improve education provision for children born with foetal alcohol spectrum disorders.

Kevin Brennan: Many children born with foetal alcohol spectrum disorders have special educational needs. Schools and local authorities must have regard to the SEN Code of Practice when carrying out statutory duties to identify, assess and make provision for special educational needs—including children whose needs arise from foetal alcohol spectrum disorders. The code highlights the importance of education, social care and health services working together to meet the needs of all children with special educational needs.

Building Schools for the Future Programme

Derek Wyatt: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what the accounting arrangements are for the Building Schools for the Future budgets allocated to local authorities.

Jim Knight: Building Schools for the Future (BSF) is funded through a combination of capital grant, the private finance initiative, and also in the case of wave 1 to 3 projects, supported borrowing allocations. Allocations are currently made by my Department on the advice of Partnerships for Schools, our delivery agent for the BSF programme. All allocations are made to the lead local authority for each project, who are signatories to the contracts for the BSF projects, and who have responsibility for ensuring the funds are properly invested. All schools capital allocations made through capital grant and supported borrowing are included in the Department's accounts.

Children: Day Care

Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what assessment he has made of the effect of the transformation fund on levels of qualifications held by the childcare and early years workforce.

Beverley Hughes: Local authorities have estimated that during the period 2006-07 to 2007-08, over 4,300 settings would be supported through the Transformation Fund to take up the Quality Premium or Recruitment Incentive, and over 42,000 employees would be supported through the Fund to gain a full Level 3, 4 or 5 qualification. Levels of qualification in the work force are monitored through the annual Childcare and Early Years Providers Survey, which will next report in autumn 2008. In 2006, the survey showed that 73 per cent. of staff in full day care settings held a Level 3 qualification and that 3 per cent. of staff in full day care settings held a graduate level qualification.

Languages: Curriculum

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what steps the Government have taken since 1997 to encourage more students to learn foreign languages at school.

Jim Knight: In 2002 the Government's National Languages Strategy was published, with the overarching objective of improving the teaching and learning of languages across all phases of education, including delivering an entitlement that by 2010 all Key Stage 2 pupils (ages 7-11) will be able to learn a language at least in part in class time. Research commissioned by the Department shows that 70 per cent. of primary schools are already teaching foreign languages in class time.
	In light of the continued decline in take-up of languages at GCSE following the decision in 2004 to lift the requirement on young people to be taught a language at Key Stage 4 (ages 14-16), we commissioned the Languages Review, chaired by Lord Dearing. This reported in March 2007 and made a number of recommendations that we are now taking forward. These include: making languages a compulsory part of the primary curriculum when it is next reviewed, backed by a teacher training programme in a primary languages specialism, increased funding for local authorities to support primary languages, and access to sources of support for classroom teaching; promoting a broader range of languages at Key Stage 3 (ages 11-14) by relaxing the requirement that schools first teach a working language of the European Union so that they can offer any major world or European language; and encouraging take-up of languages at GCSE level by including two new performance indicators in the Achievement and Attainment Tables to measure attainment and participation in languages and providing challenge and support to schools from School Improvement Partners and Ofsted.

Pre-School Education: Teachers

Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what estimate he has made of the likely demand for specialist qualified early years teachers for early years settings in each of the next three years.

Beverley Hughes: We are currently carrying out a modelling exercise to determine the demand for teachers, including those with experience and knowledge of the early years, for the period from 2008 to 2011. The results of this will be available at the end of 2007.

School Improvement Partners

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how much has been paid to Capita for that firm's work in assessing and selecting school improvement partners since the inception of the programme.

Jim Knight: To date £4.7 million has been paid to the Department's National Strategies contractor, Capita SCS, for assessing education professionals for accreditation to become School Improvement Partners (SIPs). Of this figure, £4.4 million was paid to the National College of School Leadership (NCSL) who are contracted by Capita SCS to run the SIP accreditation and induction programme. To date, 3,661 SIPs have been accredited across the primary and secondary phases.

Schools: Milton Keynes

Mark Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what assessment he has made of the impact of the reduction of the basic need allocation for Milton Keynes on the future school building programme for the city.

Jim Knight: I had a discussion on this issue with the hon. Member and with my hon. Friend the Member for Milton Keynes, South-West (Dr. Starkey) on Wednesday 7 November. I said that I would ask my officials, working with Milton Keynes' officials, to review the position of that authority and to report back to me.

Supply Teachers: Expenditure

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what estimate he has made of the amount paid by schools in England to teacher supply agencies in each of the last five years for which figures are available.

Jim Knight: The information requested is contained within the following table:
	
		
			  Expenditure on agency supply teachers( 1)  by local authority maintained schools( 2)  in England: 2002-03 to 2006-07( 2,3) 
			  £ 
			   Agency supply teaching staff( 1,4)  (E26) 
			 2002-03(2) 357,633,000 
			 2003-04 371,163,000 
			 2004-05 382,959,000 
			 2005-06 430,538,000 
			 2006-07(3) 438,740,000 
			 (1) Expenditure on agency supply teaching staff covers the cost paid to an agency for teaching staff that have been brought in to cover teacher absence. Includes cover of any period and for all reasons, including illness, absence for training, and any leave. This does not include expenditure on supply teachers who are employed directly by a school (and hence not employed via an agency). (2) Figures for 2002-03 exclude any expenditure by local authority maintained nursery schools as that was not collected in 2002-03. Expenditure local authority maintained nursery schools on agency supply teaching staff make up £0.5 million, £1.7 million, £2.2 million and £2.5 million of the respective totals for 2003-04, 2004-05, 2005-06 and 2006-07. (3) Figures for 2006-07 is subject to change by the local authority. (4) Figures are rounded to the nearest £1,000.  Notes: 1. Cash terms figures as reported by local authorities as at  7 November 2007. 2. Figures are drawn from local authorities Section 52 Outturn Statement (Table A line 28) submitted to the DCSF (formally DfES).

Teaching Aids: Climate Change

Andrew Tyrie: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families when the guidance referred to in the answer of 24 October 2007,  Official Report, column 425W, on teaching aids: climate change, will be sent to secondary schools; and if he will place a copy in the Library.

Jim Knight: We hope to send the guidance to schools by the end of November but it is already available online on the Sustainable Schools area of the Teachernet website:
	www.teachernet.gov.uk/sustainableschools

PRIME MINISTER

Departmental Official Hospitality

Norman Lamb: To ask the Prime Minister who he has officially entertained at Chequers since 28 June.

Gordon Brown: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave the hon. Member for Fareham (Mr. Hoban) on 10 October 2007,  Official Report, column 680W.

Departmental Public Appointments

Norman Baker: To ask the Prime Minister whether Sir Alistair Graham indicated his willingness to serve a second term as Chairman of the Committee on Standards in Public Life.

Gordon Brown: I refer the hon. Member to the evidence given by Sir Alistair Graham to the Public Administration Select Committee on 15 May 2007.

Ministerial Policy Advisors

Andrew Tyrie: To ask the Prime Minister if he will provide a list of Government special advisers since 27 June 2007 with pay bands and costs, including support costs, on a comparable basis to the information provided in the written statement of 26 July 2006,  Official Report, columns 86-91WS, on special advisers.

Gordon Brown: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 29 October 2007,  Official Report, column 624W.

Ministers: Codes of Practice

Simon Burns: To ask the Prime Minister if he will make a statement on the  (a) content and  (b) application of the rules in the Ministerial Code of Conduct relating to the requirement for (i) Ministers and (ii) parliamentary private secretaries to notify hon. Members when visiting their constituencies to take part in party political activities.

Gordon Brown: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to him by my predecessor (right hon. Tony Blair) on 27 November 2006,  Official Report, column 330W.

Public Relations: Prime Minister

Mark Harper: To ask the Prime Minister 
	(1)  what arrangements are in place for  (a) giving notice and  (b) seeking leave by the Director General of the Security Service (DGSS) in relation to the making of speeches on matters within his responsibilities, with particular reference to the DGSS's speech to the Society of Editors on 5 November 2007;
	(2)  when he was first informed of the  (a) delivery date and  (b) content of the speech made by the Director General of the Security Service on 5 November 2007.

Gordon Brown: I have regular meetings and discussions with ministerial colleagues and others on a wide range of subjects.